


Omoni's Torigore 30

by Omoni



Series: Undertale Writing Challenges [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Asgore/Toriel-centric, Definite Smut, F/M, Female Frisk, Fluff, Fluffy Smut, Lewff, OC Goatchild, Politics, Romance, Some angst, Spoilers for the Pacifist Run, silliness, vanilla bondage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-07-19 20:36:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 35,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7376518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omoni/pseuds/Omoni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of ficlets, drabbles, and regular fics all about Asgore and Toriel's complex relationship, both before, during, and after the Pacifist run of the game. There will be spoilers, ridiculous fluff, sappy romance, and some angst. So, yeah. Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lively

"Uh... aren't you Prince Asgore?"

Asgore started, then looked up, and saw probably one of the most beautiful monsters he'd ever seen in his life. She was of a similar type as he, but that's not what made her beautiful. Rather, it was the way she held herself, standing tall and almost proud, but without any arrogance in that stance. Her ears were long like his, her hair short and white, and her eyes were a beautiful light red. She was plump but carried it so well it almost made him blush. In that one moment, that one look, and that one question, Prince Asgore of the monster race was hers.

"Y-yes," he agreed, his hands fumbling with his textbook (Introduction to Fire Magic).

She smiled, and his heart raced. "You? Fire? Really? But you're so... kind, so gentle and easygoing!"

He found himself smiling back; her smile was almost contagious. "You'd be surprised."

"Oh?" She sat down beside him and held out her hand. "I'm Toriel, and I'd love to see proof."

He took it and shook it. Her grip was strong and firm. "I'm just Asgore, and it would be my pleasure," he replied with a grin.


	2. Remorseful

Asgore sat upon his throne, his head in his hands. The night sky made the throneroom dark, but nothing was darker than how he felt inside.

Beside him, like an open wound, was an empty throne. It would never be filled again.

Toriel had left him. While he had made his proclamation to exact revenge on the humans that had murdered his children, his wife had vanished. No note, no message left with any of the staff - nothing, save one thing: her crown, left on the seat of her throne.

She had truly left him. He had gone too far. By trying to give his people hope, he had destroyed his wife's.

So he sat in his throne, and wept.


	3. Dismiss

When Toriel returned to the Ruins, the first thing she did was dismiss her staff. She no longer needed them, and she knew they'd be happier back at New Home, in the Capitol, than in the dismal remains of _her_ new home. There were some protests, but she was firm, and eventually, she was alone.

Walking back towards Home was harder than she'd imagined. Not only was it full of painful memories, but she had to keep them to herself, as she soon discovered that the Ruins still had many people living there. They were harmless, shy folk, the type that were best left alone, and she was fine doing that.

Soon, she'd count herself among their number, after all.

When she finally made it to Home, she stopped in front of the house, frozen in her tracks. Without control, her eyes filled, and though she tried to stifle them, the tears came anyway - and violently. She lowered to her knees, covering her face, the gravity of what she'd done finally hitting her hard, and directly in the heart.

She couldn't just shrug the pain away. She couldn't just pretend it was meaningless and therefore easy to get over. There was no way to simply dismiss this pain.

Alone, in the overgrown garden of her old - now new - home, Toriel wept.


	4. Heavy

Once, Asgore found himself at the entrance of the Ruins. He knew Toriel was there, knew all he had to do was knock, to call out her name, and perhaps there'd be a reaction. At this point, he didn't care what kind he got, so long as it was one. He'd sent letters, so many letters, but he either got silence or ashes sent back in response.

So, now, here he was, standing like a fool in front of the doors of his former kingdom, hoping that, somehow, in some way, if he knocked, he'd get a reaction from her.

That was all he wanted.

For what felt like hours, he held his hand over the door, ready to knock, to yell, to plead, even, anything to get her attention...

But his heart was too terrified of the silence he might get, instead.

So, Asgore lowered his head and walked away, his heart as heavy as lead within his breast.


	5. Forward

When the school for monster children was finally going to be opened on the surface, it was Toriel, and not Asgore, who took the first step. What she didn't know was that she was taking the first step to their reconciliation. 

Asgore was still living Underground at the time, intent on staying there for the monsters that remained there, until they, too, journeyed to the surface. Toriel journeyed all the way to New Home, discovering that he was in the throneroom garden, as usual. She could hear his humming from a distance away, and actually had to stop herself for a moment upon hearing it. It was so familiar that it actually hurt.

When she could, Toriel made it to the garden, pausing again, in the doorway. Her heart raced, and not for the first time, she felt as if she were playing the fool. Was she crazy to want to ask this of him? Was she stupid? She hadn't forgotten what he'd done, but she also knew just how remorseful he had become. Maybe even had been back then, too.

Slowly, Toriel walked into the garden, her steps light. But Asgore froze, his voice going silent. He didn't turn around, so she stopped several feet away, her hands folded in front of her. There was a silence, one that stretched between them.

Then, without turning around, he murmured, "Tori."

Her heart ached from hearing it. "Hello, Asgore," she said, trying to keep her voice steady, but even with her best efforts, it still wavered.

Asgore turned around then, still holding a watering can, and he looked at her. One of the things he had never mastered was his ability to mask his emotions, and so now, Toriel could see exactly how he felt: a mix of relief, sadness - and fear. She was surprised by the fear. What was he afraid of? Her? Her words?

For another moment, they stared at each other, so much left unsaid between them, so much that needed to be said but was not; Toriel couldn't find the proper way to begin a conversation like that.

Instead, she said, "Asgore, would you like to work at my school?"

He stared at her, shocked, before his face lit up, so much that it took her breath away. His happiness was so immense, so bright, that she truly did feel the fool for not asking sooner - though deep down she knew why she did not. She was also afraid, but for her own reasons. 

"It would be as groundskeeper," she continued. "Hard, physical work. But, I figured, since you spend so much time in the gardens here anyway, you'd be right at home in the job."

He was nodding before she finished, smiling so brightly, he beamed. She froze; she hadn't seen that expression in many, many years, and its sudden appearance sent her heart racing again. She coughed, hoping to cover it up.

"The school opens on Tuesday," Toriel explained. "Can you be there on Monday, to begin the work, make it presentable in time?"

"Yes," he said right away. "Yes, of course I can"

"Good. I'll see you on Monday. Do wear casual clothing, Asgore."

She turned to leave, but his voice stopped her. "Thank you, Tori. This means a great deal to me."

Toriel didn't turn around, but replied, "Don't thank me yet, Asgore. It isn't going to be easy."

"With you there," he replied, "anything is bearable."

She blushed, lowering her head, but she said nothing. She simply walked away, knowing he would keep his word. She was too afraid to look at him, again, anyway.


	6. Prowl

Asgore adored his job. He loved everything about it. He loved it so much that he very rarely took breaks, finding himself not really wanting to - except maybe to eat. But even then he sometimes forgot.

Toriel wasn't exaggerating when she warned him that it would be hard work, but he never complained. He found it challenging, but in a good way; it helped him get back into shape - something he realised he had been sorely (literally) neglecting. That took some adjusting to, especially when it came to sore muscles, but soon, it became easier - and fun.

Many of the children recognised him, and delighted in both teasing him and cheering him on. He loved the attention, especially from them. For once, it made him feel like the actual king he was supposed to be - despite the demotion.

Toriel certainly noticed his devotion to his new job. It almost seemed that, when she noticed an issue, he was on it before she could even mentioned it. He was attentive, quick, and above all, cheerful. It was the cheer that surprised her, though intellectually she knew it shouldn't have. He took such great pleasure in everything he did that it reminded her of the husband she had once had, who had been the same way with housework.

What was sweet for Asgore was bittersweet for Toriel.

At times, it seemed almost as if he were always underfoot, or always where she wanted to be before she even got there, as if he were stalking her. He was not; it was truly coincidence, but whenever their eyes met, she always found herself smiling back, regardless of hos she felt at that moment.

Soon, however, it became almost a comfort to Toriel to find him where she was. She found herself looking forward to his smiles, to seeing him hard at work, or talking to the students and staff - anytime, really.

And it was then that Toriel wondered, with a blush: who was stalking whom? And why?


	7. Cut

Asgore was working hard at one of his hedge displays. It was one of his favourite jobs, finding true joy in his grassy creations. He'd managed to make one of everyone close to him, save one: the one he worked on, now. The one he'd save for last, because he wanted the most time on it. The entire time, he was grinning, unable to contain his excitement. He hoped the subject of the creation would - at least - tolerate it, though part of him wondered if he should expect a lecture.

It took him hours, but Asgore knew it would. He'd made sure nothing was left to be done before he began, so that he could spend as much time on it as possible. It was almost the end of the day when he finally lowered the shears and grinned, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"She's gonna kill you."

Asgore turned to find Undyne behind him, grinning her widest. "Can I watch?" she added. He made a face at that, and she laughed, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Good luck, Dad," she concluded, before making her way back to the school. She was still grinning, but he'd caught a look of approval, there, too, which gave him some hope.

Before him was Toriel, dressed as she was as queen, complete in royal regalia and a sword. She stood tall and proud, her face a mix of calm serenity and stubborn strength. It was the wife he used to have, and could still sometimes see in her, today.

He was still examining it when a voice said, "I won't kill you, but I do wonder at your taste, Asgore."

He turned with a grin, and Toriel stood behind him, her eyes on her grassy clone, her arms crossed and her posture tall. She didn't know it, but she wore almost the exact expression as the hedge.

"Do you like it, Tori?" he wondered, still grinning. She didn't answer, still staring at it, as though spellbound. 

Then she said, her voice soft, "Is that how you truly see me?"

Asgore's smile flickered. "Well, part of you, yes." He nodded, turning back to the hedge and gazing at it fondly. "The queen in you, the part that you now use as Headmistress. That strength, but also that gentleness, as if you'd heal the person you just smacked for a good reason." He grinned wider. "I remember that a lot."

Toriel was blushing; she remembered, too. It was true that she found herself reverting back to that part of herself during her teaching. "Yes, well," she said, before coughing a little, embarrassed - and touched. "It's a tad overbearing, is it not?"

"Nope," Asgore replied without hesitation. "I think it suits the school perfectly."

Toriel hesitated, then looked closely at him. He looked so happy that it touched her even deeper, so much that it almost hurt. She suddenly had the urge to grab his hand into hers and not let go. But of course she did not. Instead, she said sincerely, "I agree, Asgore. It's lovely."

He turned to her, and their eyes met, hundreds of words passing between them, left unsaid. Before she knew it, her hand was reaching out, as he was with his, and they touched, holding onto each other's hands tight. She stared at him, and he stared back. For that moment, both were lost in each other's gaze, their minds focused on how wonderful such a simple gesture could feel.

"Mami-Tori!"

Toriel's hand jerked away as though burnt, turning to Frisk at once and kneeling down, accepting her hug with a shaky smile and a soft greeting.

Asgore's hand dropped, as did his heart. He'd felt... so close to her, then.

Frisk's eyes suddenly met his over Toriel's shoulder, and they held a gentle, understanding light in them. Frisk understood, and Asgore knew that he had an ally in Frisk. He smiled, and she smiled back, winking.

As Toriel and Frisk walked hand-in-hand, Toriel looked back, her eyes falling first on the hedge, then on Asgore. He blinked back, and she looked away quickly. But he knew what he'd just found there, and his heart soared.

Hope.


	8. Compromise

Asgore wanted to spend more time with Frisk. The feeling was definitely mutual, Toriel soon discovered. Frisk was eager to get to know Asgore better, so once, over lunch at the school, she brought it up with him.

"Do you plan to move to the surface someday, Asgore?" she began, keeping her voice calm, though oddly her heart was not. Maybe she'd had too much coffee that morning?

Asgore blinked. "Well," he said, thinking about it. "At the moment, no, I haven't."

That surprised her. "Really? Why not, Asgore? It's lovely here."

He looked down, going quiet. His ears twitched, and suddenly she realised he was going to lie. She was right. "I just haven't thought about it."

It was indeed a lie. He thought about it all the time, but two reasons held him back. The first was guilt: he didn't feel as if he'd earned the right to live on the surface, due to his past actions. He'd not only declared war on humans, but he'd killed their children. It felt as if he would be doing something dishonest if he were to live amongst them.

The second reason, he knew, was foolish, but no less true: he didn't want to live alone anymore, and he knew who he wanted to live with: Toriel and Frisk. He knew that that was practically impossible, so instead, he tried his best to become friends with both.

Toriel knew it was a lie, but because she didn't know the truth, she let it go. "Well, you said once that you wanted to spend more time with Frisk--,"

He raised his head, lighting up immediately. He nodded, and she couldn't help it: she smiled. "Tori, it would mean the world to me," he admitted.

"And to Frisk as well, it seems," Toriel replied. "She keeps asking me, over and over, when you're going to come by and visit." She paused, taking a sip of coffee. "We live very close to the school, Asgore. You're welcome to come by any time for tea. Just let me know beforehand, so that I have what we need."

Asgore stared at her, speechless. It was far more than he'd ever expected, to be welcomed into their home, to actually have tea with them. In all of his lonely times thinking - yearning - for their company, he'd never imagined this much.

"Asgore, do stop looking at me as though I've just flashed you," Toriel snapped, rolling her eyes. He blushed, coughing, and she smirked, unable to help it. "It's just tea, Asgore. Besides, Frisk will finally stop pestering me. We both win."

Asgore smiled at her suddenly at that, and again her heart reacted. Maybe she had to lay off the coffee after all, she thought - in denial, as usual, and knowing it.

"May I... come by today?" he wondered carefully.

"No," she said at once. She went pink; she hadn't cleaned in a bit, and needed to do so, though again, the reason why such a thing was so important was dutifully ignored. "But tomorrow would be fine."

He reached forward and grabbed her hand, holding it tight. He couldn't help it; he felt so much all at once. "That would be just perfect, Tori," he admitted, almost feeling drunk in his joy.

Toriel stared at their hands for a moment, but didn't move hers away. "That's good," she said softly, though she wondered just then what she mean: the tea, or his hand? Then she snapped out of it and added, "Frisk will be very happy."

"She's not the only one," Asgore replied.

Softly, Toriel murmured, "No. She's not."


	9. Impulse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had to up the rating of this collection solely because of this chapter, and the chapter after it. Whoops! Also, this chapter ended up really, really long, so I hope it makes up for the mini-chapters previous to it. Enjoy! (I hope :3)

Looking back, neither knew who started it or why. But then, also looking back, it didn't really matter. It happened, it changed everything, and that was what was the most important thing.

Toriel, Asgore and Frisk had been enjoying their afternoon teas for about a week by then, and it had gone surprisingly well. Frisk already adored Asgore, and Asgore, himself, was charmed and smitten by Frisk pretty much the moment she'd spared him. They both learnt that they loved the same kind of pie, a penchant for cheesy jokes and puns, and gardens. They became friends so quickly, so easily, that Toriel regretted not doing this sooner.

By the Friday of that first week, when Asgore was about to leave for the evening, Frisk was so attached that she walked him to the door, holding his hand, then gave him a hug. Then, she said, "Safe trip Underground, Papi-Gorey."

Asgore's eyes filled, and he hugged her tight, shutting his eyes. "Thank you, Frisk," he murmured.

Before he left, his eyes met Toriel's, and he saw that hers, too, were bright with tears. Both were truly astonished by how casually Frisk had just called him that. Asgore walked back to the Underground in a light, thrilled daze. It was all he'd ever hoped for.

Well, almost.

The next day, on a whim, Asgore decided to surprise them both with a visit on the weekend. He brought fresh snails for Toriel and cinnamon-bunnies for Frisk, hoping to make his surprise visit a little festive. He forgot to call, first, though.

That alone was what changed everything.

"Asgore," Toriel said, blinking in surprise when she opened the door. "It's... Saturday."

He grinned. "Yes! I've come to surprise you and Frisk with some Underground treats!" He held up the tin of snails and box of buns and beamed.

Toriel stood there, unable to move. Her heart was racing, the expression on Asgore's face hitting her so suddenly it shocked her. Throughout the week, the feeling she'd first felt on that first afternoon had grown, but she'd furiously smothered it, refusing to name it despite knowing its name from the start. But seeing him now, completely unprepared, with his face so happy and open...

"Frisk isn't here," she admitted softly, hiding her hands behind her back: they shook. "She went to the beach with Undyne, Alphys, and Papyrus, and won't be back until the evening."

Asgore's face fell. "Oh. I should have called, first. I'm so sorry, Tori." He sighed. "Well, do take these, anyway, alright?" He forced a smile, but it was tiny compared to the previous one. He held the treats out to her, but Toriel didn't move to take them.

"You're leaving already?" she wondered. She sounded as dazed as she felt, but had no control over her voice. "But... you just got here."

Asgore looked confused, now, his hands still out and offering the food. "But if Frisk's not here, then, I should go, right?"

"Don't be ridiculous," she answered sharply, snapping a little out of her daze. She pulled the door open and moved to the side. "Come in for a little bit, Asgore. I don't mind."

Asgore stared at her, speechless, before he did so carefully, watching her closely, as if expecting some sort of trick. Toriel ushered him in and closed the door, and Asgore moved to the kitchen and set the food on the counter. 

She went over to the tin and smiled at it. "Snails," she said, touching it lightly. "From the Underground?" She looked at him and smiled wider. "Thank you. I haven't had them in a while."

Asgore said nothing, immediately disarmed by her smile. She hadn't smiled at him in that way in a very, very long time. "Uh," he managed, scratching at the back of his head. "The buns are for Frisk."

Toriel nodded. "Thank you, again. I'm sure she'll love them." She turned back to him, folding her hands in front of her to mask their shaking. "This is very kind of you, Asgore. I do wish Frisk were here to enjoy them, now." She paused. "Would you like some tea, anyway?"

"Yes," he said at once. "That would be lovely. I'd love to, yes." He cleared his throat before he had a chance to go on, knowing that he would just end up babbling.

Toriel went on automatic, then, putting the treats aside for now and setting up the tea as she always did. Asgore sat down in his usual spot, watching her, entranced by how easy she made everything look. He'd never had a chance to watch her, before. Frisk would always talk and talk, either about school, the friends they shared, or her new position as ambassador. Now, he realised how much he'd missed watching her perform such a normal task.

Toriel was surprised she could do it at all, let alone competently. She was afraid that she would stumble or drop something, but luckily she was fine - at least, in regards to making tea. Her heart was racing, and she felt the blood rush to her face. She hoped Asgore couldn't hear her heart, hoped he didn't notice her blush, and wished she didn't feel so ridiculous.

With Frisk there, she was fine with Asgore. Frisk was an excellent buffer, a kind of distraction that kept both of them from having to focus on each other. Now that Frisk was absent, she felt painfully aware of him - as he was of her.

The tea was ready, and Toriel served it with leftover snail pie, which surprised - and delighted - Asgore. He smiled again, that real smile, and she almost choked on her tea. She tried, so hard, to get a grip on herself, but the longer time went on, the looser her hold became.

She didn't know it - yet - but Asgore was feeling the same way. His own heart was taxing him, so excited that he was able to spend time alone with Toriel, and now he was finally about to taste her snail pie, something he hadn't had in a long, long time. He took a generous spoonful, but before he could, she said, "They're surface snails, so they're not as good, but, well, they're not so bad..."

He smiled wider. "I'm sure it's delicious as always, Tori," he replied. She sipped her tea in response to hide her blush, and he took the bite of pie.

It sealed their fate.

He made a sound and closed his eyes, chewing slowly. She stared at him, and he sighed, his cheeks going pink in delight. She went red from that sound, still trying to hide behind her cup, and when he swallowed, he smiled blissfully, keeping his eyes shut.

"Ah, Tori," he murmured. "How I missed that so dearly."

She lowered her cup, surprised. "Even with those snails?"

"Yes," he nodded slowly. With his eyes still closed, he took another generous mouthful, chewing it in the same, slow, blissful way, his face getting more and more pink. "Oh, golly," he murmured. "So nostalgic."

Toriel stared at him, her cheeks burning. She, too, felt nostalgic, but in a different way. Wordlessly, she reached forward and, before she could talk herself out of it, placed her hand over his free one.

Asgore's eyes snapped open, meeting hers, and his hand turned over and curled around hers, lacing their fingers together. Their eyes were locked, now, and both noticed that their hands were warm, almost as warm as their faces.

Again, without thinking, Toriel reached forward with her other hand and touched his face, pressing her palm over his whiskered cheek gently. Asgore closed his eyes and leaned into her hand.

"Tori," he murmured, his voice so soft it almost hurt her. He dropped his spoon and covered her hand with his, nuzzling it with his cheek. "I... I need to tell you..."

"No," she said softly. "You don't."

He opened his eyes again, and she was staring at him, the expression so familiar that his blood went hot. He knew that look, knew it so well, despite not having seen it in such a long time. He could barely believe his eyes, and wondered if he was just seeing what he wanted. Because he wanted to, very, very much.

But Toriel's own blood was hot, and the expression was exactly what he saw. She couldn't explain why, or how, but she suddenly felt as if all of her walls were gone, as if they had never existed, and she wondered why she'd even had them to begin with.

"Gorey," she whispered, the name coming so naturally to her lips that it felt almost cathartic. Asgore's eyes shone, and he held her hands tight. Then, as though they'd both agreed on it, they stood up and reached for each other, both stumbling. They embraced, hard, and suddenly they were kissing, deeply, hands clutching tight and bodies close. Asgore's tears fell free, and Toriel felt her own eyes burn. It was a kiss that was both familiar and new, and they clung to each other, unwilling to let go.

"Gorey," she whispered against his lips, and he made a sound in response, reaching up and holding her face between his hands. She repeated it, only the tone was different - desperate. Asgore kissed her deeper, and her fingers dug into his back, gripping onto his shirt tight.

"Gorey," she repeated breathlessly, the word spilling from her lips against his. She'd lost control, now, lost in his embrace, the feel and taste of him, so missed, so longed for - and now finally, against her. She moved closer, no space between them, now, and he gasped, now the one reaching to her back to cling onto her.

"Tori... Tori, I... I..." he said between kisses, the feel of her almost intoxicating. When she moved up against him in that way, his mind filled with nothing but her, and he just blurted it out. "Tori, I love you... I love you, so much... I never stopped, and I never will..." And he leaned down and nuzzled her neck, right along the curve.

Toriel shut her eyes and tilted her head back, one leg hooking around his hip, feeling his desire against her - and wanting to feel so much more. "Gorey," she whispered. "Gorey, my love..."

He shut his eyes, more tears falling free, a small, relieved sound escaping him at that. She didn't need to say anything beyond that. He took hold of her leg at the back of her knee, keeping her close, his other hand now behind her head, still kissing along her neck, in just the way he remembered she loved.

"Gorey... I..." She bit her lip, feeling almost too hot for her own skin, her hands holding him so hard they shook. Then, surprising them both, she gasped out, _"Please, Gorey..."_

Asgore raised his head and kissed her again, deeply, and she hooked her other leg around him; he grabbed it at once and kept it close again. She moaned softly, the sound so sweet to him that he licked her lips, and her eyes shut tight. She tugged at his shirt, whispering his name again.

It was then, right there, that they both lost control - if they'd even had it to begin with. Asgore held her tight, and suddenly she found herself on the table, pinned beneath him. She moved the dishes aside, barely noticing or caring if they broke. Instead, she finally pulled his shirt off, her hands going over his chest slowly, the feel so familiar and also new yet again. Asgore stumbled, then reached for her shirt, and she pulled it, and her bra, off without any hesitation. They kissed again, Asgore reaching up and cupping one breast gently. Toriel whispered his name at that, and he broke from the kiss to nuzzle her other breast instead. She leaned back against the table, her hand going to his hair and tangling into it.

Everything was so easy, so familiar, yet they both knew that this was still something new, something reborn, and both were eager to see it grow.

Asgore kissed down lower along her chest and belly, then reached down beneath her skirt. Her hand in his hair tightened, and he took that - correctly - as encouragement. When his fingers touched hot and slick flesh, Toriel breathed out, her other hand grabbing onto his forearm hard. He looked up and saw that her eyes were closed, a small smile on her lips, and he couldn't help it. He pulled his hand away and removed her skirt and underwear, and she briefly looked at him at met his gaze, nodding and reaching for his pants. Soon he was as naked as she, and she wrapped her legs around his waist again, pulling him close. He stumbled, the tip of him brushing against her, and they both made a sound, then, a shared, desperate sound.

Toriel pulled him on top of her, right there on the table, and he leaned down and very slowly pushed himself into her. She grabbed his shoulders and arched back, and he buried his face into her shoulder, unable to keep himself from gasping out her name, before pushing his full length deep at her urging, her legs tight around him.

"Gorey..." she breathed out. He raised his head, and she kissed him, shifting her hips up and taking him into her even deeper. He gripped onto the edges of the table for balance and began to move, and there was nothing else, now, nothing but the two of them on that table. They kissed harder, moved faster, falling into familiar rhythms so easily it was as if there had been no time lost. He knew exactly how to move, exactly what she needed, and she knew the same for him. 

It had been so long for both of them, neither having had any partners between, that Toriel was already close after only a few moments. Asgore knew it and held her close, breaking the kiss to lick one already-hardened nipple, and she cried out his name breathlessly, her whole body flashing hot, muscles gripping around him tight. She came, the feeling so wonderful, so familiar, that she laughed, just a little, in her delight, burying her face into his shoulder. 

Asgore raised his head again to kiss her, and she complied, urging him to move faster. "Come for me, Gorey," she whispered against his lips, and he shut his eyes, the words lancing deep. He moved faster and harder, and she held onto him, meeting each thrust he made, and he held onto her instead of the table, now, so close, already so close... She whispered his name again, and he lost it, unable to hold it back any longer. With a choked groan, he came, holding her to him tight, shuddering from the intensity of it.

For a long moment, they lay together, clinging tight, unwilling to let go and wanting it to last as long as possible. They were both gasping for breath, Toriel's arms around Asgore's neck, one hand stroking his ear gently. Asgore's arms were around her waist, loosely, now, his face buried in the crook of her neck. She rested her cheek against his head, her eyes closed and her legs loose around his waist. Both felt so calm at that moment, as if doing this was the most natural thing in the world. 

Then, slowly, Asgore raised his head and kissed Toriel deeply. She held his face between her hands and returned it, still smiling.

"Tori," he murmured, pulling from the kiss. She nodded, and he searched her eyes, his face sombre. "Are... are you... are we...?"

She laughed softly. "You silly whelp," she replied. "You truly need to ask?"

He reddened, then also laughed, though it was strained with a slight tremor. His eyes suddenly filled, and he blurted out, "Tori, please, please be my wife again, please..."

Toriel stared at him, her smile widening. "Gorey," she whispered. "I... was going to ask if I could..." She laughed again, kissing him, and he also laughed, the sound mixed with happy tears, unable to contain it. 

She kissed his tears away, then said, blushing a little, "Gorey... my back.... can we...?"

He got up and gently pulled her up with him, both shaky on their feet. They embraced, holding each other for a moment, a gesture so simple that held so much within it.

Then Toriel whispered, "Move in with us, and be Frisk's papi - and my husband."

Asgore buried his face into her shoulder and nodded, holding her closer. She pulled away, only to take his hand and lead him to her bedroom. He followed. He would follow her anywhere.

Forever.


	10. Hush

It was late in the night, and Asgore couldn't sleep. It was his first night in his new home with Frisk and Toriel, and he was lying awake, feeling so happy and lucky that he couldn't even imagine sleeping.

Part of him was absurdly worried that if he did sleep, he'd somehow wake up and discover that this was all a dream, and that he was actually still Underground, sleeping alone, walking alone, gardening alone - always alone.

But each time he thought of that, he looked over to his side and found Toriel there, curled up on her side and sleeping deeply. He wondered how she could sleep so easily. He wished he knew how. He turned around and slipped his arms around her waist, pressing up behind her carefully, hoping not to wake her. Just doing that was also dreamlike, and he rested his face behind her head, taking in her scent deeply and sighing from how comforting it - and she - was.

To his surprise, he heard a sigh from her in response, and she whispered, "Go to sleep, Asgore."

He went red, embarrassed that he'd been caught not only awake, but cuddling her in such a silly way. "I... sorry," he stammered.

Toriel woke up a bit more, unable to help it. Feeling him against her back, being held by him in such a tender way, was actually wonderful to her. She'd fallen asleep so easily at his side, not having done so in ages, and she knew that the difference was him. She also knew that his sleeplessness was also like him. He'd been like that the first few months of their first marriage, after all.

Old patterns, new again. Old love, reborn and stronger.

Toriel remembered, then, just how to make him sleepy. With a sly grin, she turned over and faced him, and he blinked at her, surprised by her expression. She reached up and touched his cheek gently, and his eyes softened - and so did her own. She slipped close and pressed against him, sliding her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. His eyes flared, but he automatically held her close. She kissed him, gently, and he murmured softly against her lips, desire hitting them both.

In mere moments, they were naked together, and shortly after that, Toriel had climbed atop him and had taken him into her, pressing against him and holding him close. She moved in such a way that drew it out, made it last, but both were quiet, gasps of pleasure mere puffs of air, cries of delight muffled by deep kisses and gentle caresses. They knew they had to be quiet, lest they wake up Frisk, but there was almost something sweeter about the quiet, more intimate, as though so much more could be exchanged and conveyed only through gestures in silence.

When Toriel hit her peak, she bit down on her lip and had to hide her face in Asgore's neck, clinging to him tight. He held her, shutting his eyes and loving every moment of it, adoring that she always seemed to smile whenever she came, and marveling that it was he who could bring her such pleasure. When she calmed, he kissed her, then rolled her gently onto her back. She hooked her legs around him and arched her back, closing her eyes and sighing deeply, still smiling. He leaned down and held her close as he moved, finding that keeping quiet could indeed be a challenge, but one he met easily. It was easy - everything was - with Toriel.

When he was close, she knew it, and pulled him closer, holding onto him tighter - everywhere. He swallowed a groan and shut his eyes tight, and he kissed her, the sound small against her lips, but enough to bring a soft sound from her in reply. She whispered, so gently, "Please, Gorey," and her words, like always, struck him deep. He was unable to hold back, and held her tight as he came, shaking, barely able to restrain himself from crying out her name.

She held him as they both calmed, already feeling sleepy again. Now, finally, he felt that way, too, and nuzzled his face into her neck, bringing a small laugh from her. They stayed that way for so long that when Toriel's eyes closed and her hold on him relaxed, he barely realised it. He had the thought to grab a blanket and pull it over them lazily, before sleep claimed him, too. Throughout the night, though they moved a bit in slumber, they still remained close, so that when they awoke in the morning, it was to each other.

The first morning of their fresh start.


	11. Morals

It took longer than he expected, but Toriel finally admitted that she wanted to discuss Asgore's past actions with him. It was after Frisk had gone to bed, and they sat together sipping chamomile tea, when Toriel brought it up carefully. 

"Asgore, we should probably talk about what happened, before."

Asgore lowered his mug and nodded, his gaze lowering along with it. "Yes. I think that is wise."

Toriel sipped her tea, hoping it would calm her nerves. She hated this topic almost as much as he did, but despite their reunion - and the joy it brought - they'd both avoided discussing the reason for their initial separation to begin with. If they kept avoiding it, they knew it would only get more and more difficult to discuss. 

"I killed six children," he murmured bluntly, surprising her. She looked up at him and saw that he was staring into his mug, his eyes shining with tears, remorse clear on his face. "In cold blood. And with no mercy." His voice was low, but it wavered, and Toriel bit her lip.

"Yes," she agreed softly, reaching forward to take his hand. He almost jerked it away, as if he didn't want her comfort - but he did want it, and thus didn't move. He needed that comfort.

"I want to say I meant well, that I wanted to save our people, but..."

"You did, Asgore," Toriel answered sharply. "But you did it wrong."

He nodded slowly. He knew. "When you left, I... didn't know what to do for a very, very long time."

"It was the same for me," she admitted gently.

"But it was my penance," Asgore went on. "Losing you. Losing my integrity. Losing most of my hope... Even when those children made it to face me, there was part of me that hoped they would just kill me to end all of our suffering."

"Asgore..." Toriel murmured, noticing that his tears fell freely, now. She squeezed his hand, but he shook his head.

"When Frisk came to spare me, I just wanted her to kill me. I was ready to die, Tori. I was going to let her."

Toriel lowered her head this time, her own tears welling up. If she hadn't stepped in and stopped the fight, she knew that he would have done just that. Even back then, as angry as she was, she couldn't let that happen. For both him and Frisk.

Then Asgore asked a question she never expected. "Why didn't you kill me, Tori?"

Her head jerked up in shock, her eyes wide. Her grip on his hand tightened further. "Gorey! How can you say such a thing?!"

He looked at her with such deep sadness that she bit her lip again. "I deserved it," he said.

"You deserved a great smack upside the head," she corrected at once, meaning it. She could tell, even back then, that he was sorry, and had been for a while. "And a lecture," she added. "And maybe another smack."

Asgore smiled weakly, sniffling a little. She rubbed his hand slowly. "Tori, I want this to work this time, and I want us to be honest and open." He looked right into her eyes, and she froze. "Do you still hate me? If so, I understand, but I need to know."

"I did," she admitted truthfully. "But I haven't for longer than I remember doing so. Especially now, Gorey. Especially with Frisk."

He smiled again, brighter, unable to help it. He always did when it came to Frisk. Seeing it, Toriel smiled in return. Despite how they'd met, Frisk and Asgore were almost inseparable. Frisk adored Asgore, just as he adored her. In her, not only was he a father again, but she was also his redemption, his chance to make amends for his crimes. Crimes that Frisk had never, ever held against him - always a surprise to him, that.

"Toriel," he murmured. He used her full name so rarely, so when he did, she knew it was serious. "I'm so, so sorry. I plan to spend the rest of my life making up for what I've done." He lowered his head, shaking with tears, now.

Toriel got up and went to his side, pulling him to her gently and stroking his hair and ears slowly. He clung to her, unable to stop sobbing, now, and she, too, cried, for not only his pain, but hers, too.

And especially for the lives that had been lost forever.


	12. Engage

Toriel knew why she did it, but it never stopped her, despite how terrible she felt later on. Asgore also knew why, which was why he took it so well - and why he waited for her to admit to it.

"Asgore," she snapped out, slapping her hand down on the table in front of him. He jumped in surprise, still waking up and still only on his first cup of tea. He blinked and looked up at her.

"I need you to be at the school at seven, today. It's almost seven. You need to hurry up!"

He glanced at the clock. It was 06:35. "I've plenty of time," he said calmly. "I'm going as soon as I'm done my tea."

Toriel grabbed his mug and poured it into the sink.

Asgore blinked slowly, staring at his empty hands. "Okay. I guess I'm done." He rose up and gave Toriel's red cheek a kiss, then left, whistling as he walked to the school. Toriel glared after him, the empty mug still in her hand, before she lowered it into the sink, her head lowering as well as she felt her anger fade, almost as quickly as it came. He'd actually been right: even at a regular pace, the walk to the school took fifteen minutes at the most. He would have made it on time.

Once at the school, she was immediately critical of his work. "Must you humour Papyrus so much?" she demanded, pointing to the fourth hedge bearing the skeleton's grinning face.

Asgore shrugged. "Sure. It makes him happy."

"It's ridiculous, Asgore," she corrected. "It makes us look ridiculous. We're supposed to be a respected school!"

"If hedges shaped like a teacher prevents that," replied Asgore calmly, "then the opinions of those who feel that way are worthless, don't you think?"

"Asgore--,"

"I promise, this is the last one," he interrupted. "He asked for four, for each corner of the school."

"But, Asgore--,"

Asgore smiled at her. "Besides, he has such a cheerful grin! Isn't it worth seeing from all directions?"

She stared at him, unable to refute that, and he kissed her cheek again and went back to work. In response, she turned and walked away.

Asgore sighed, watching her go. He wondered if she were ready yet, but judgeing from her actions, she was not. This was made even more clear at lunchtime.

"You forgot your lunch," she said flatly in greeting, dropping it in front of him. He blinked, then smiled up at her gratefully. She sat down beside him and added, "When will you ever remember, Asgore?"

"Well," he admitted. "I was in a hurry this morning."

She blushed angrily, shooting back, "Only because you so easily forget proper timing!"

"Right," he replied, distracted now by his food. "Of course."

Still red, Toriel let it drop, starting into her own lunch. They ate together in silence, but when he finished first, Asgore kissed her again and went back to work with another "thanks." Toriel said nothing, her face burning, unable to speak. It was probably better that way.

No matter what, he wouldn't rise to her anger. It baffled her. She was sure her comments would get anyone angry, or at least annoyed, but Asgore seemed to merely shrug them off.

Finally, that night, once Frisk was in bed, Toriel finally exploded, though quietly. "Why don't you care about anything I say to you?!"

Asgore stared at her. He was sitting on their bed, and she was standing over him with her arms crossed, her eyes blazing. "I do care," he said honestly, and calmly.

"You don't! You don't even react! No matter what I say, you just smile and kiss me and go on your merry way! Don't you care about what I'm saying to you?!" She paused. "Or even how I'm saying it to you?!"

"Do you even know why you're saying what you're saying, Tori?"

She hesitated. She did, but she didn't want to say it. She knew it was foolish. So she said, "What do you mean?"

Asgore sighed. "Do you even know why you keep trying to pick fights with me?" he elaborated, his face gentle.

Toriel blushed. "I'm not," she lied. "I'm just pointing out what you need to improve on!" She hated that he knew. She hated that she was so transparent. And she hated that she was doing it in the first place.

Asgore stood up and placed a hand on her cheek lightly. She began to pull away, but he stopped her with his other hand on her other cheek, and she froze, her face burning and her eyes bright.

"I'm not going anywhere, Tori," he said gently, and she hurriedly looked away, biting down on her lip, hard. "Stop trying to drive me away. If you don't want me here, just tell me, and I'll go, but I'm not going to be driven away like that."

Toriel refused to look at him, now. "I'm not easy to love," she answered sharply. "You need to remember that, in case you want to leave."

"Do you want me to leave?"

Her eyes shot back to his, and they softened. "No, of course not," she said, her voice still sharp. "I just... if you're going to leave, do it early, so my heart won't break so hard again."

There it was. She'd not only admitted it to him, but finally accepted it for herself.

Asgore pulled her close, and she seemed to unfold immediately, hugging onto him tight. "I'm not going anywhere," he said gently. "Are you?"

"Not this time," she said. "You're stuck with me, Dreemurr." Her voice wavered a bit, and he smiled faintly. 

"Then do stop trying to chase me away, please," he replied, kissing her forehead, and she buried her face into his shoulder, her fingers digging into his back. "I'm more worried about chasing you away!"

She flinched, but didn't pull away. He regretted his words, but they were true, nonetheless. "Understandable," she admitted. "But again, not this time. I'm quite invested in you this time, Gorey." She smiled against his shoulder. "I'm eager to watch what you'll become."

Asgore bit his lip this time, trying not to cry. He leaned down, and she raised her head to meet him, and they kissed.

And Toriel's heart was finally calm.


	13. Voice

Toriel often sang when she was busy and certain no one could hear her. It wasn't that she thought herself a poor singer; rather, it was more that she had no idea if her voice was good or not, so she kept it to herself.

Well, in theory. When she lived alone, she often sang without worry, to stave off loneliness as well as to keep her mind busy. So many years alone had made the habit unconscious, and once she was on the surface with Frisk - and later Asgore - she would hum softly under her breath without much thought to it.

Frisk never said a word, instead opting for silence in order to enjoy it. Therefore, Toriel often never realised when she did it or how often. Asgore, completely unprepared for this, was stunned when he first heard her humming loudly in the kitchen.

Frisk shot him a stern look. "Don't say anything!" Her voice was a sharp whisper. 

Asgore blinked. "Why not?" he whispered back.

"If she finds out, she'll stop," Frisk replied, and Asgore realised she was right. "You like it too, right?" When he nodded, Frisk added, "Then don't say anything!"

He tried. He truly did try. But every time he heard it, he felt his heart ache with both bittersweet memory and sweeter reality. Often, he'd just stand in place when he heard her, listening as though spellbound. It had been so long since he'd heard her singing, and he wanted to continue, yes. But there was also another part of him that wanted to tell her, in order to share it with her, too.

One weekend afternoon, when Toriel was preparing a pie, she began to sing - actually sing, and not just hum - and Asgore couldn't help it. He went to the kitchen and listened as well as watched her. She moved about the kitchen with her eyes shining as she sang, smiling the entire time. That was one thing he remembered: that despite their wealth, she preferred to do the cooking herself, and always found joy in doing so.

Asgore leaned against the doorway, watching her with a grin he didn't even know he wore. So much had changed, but some things definitely didn't.

Toriel turned towards him just as he was about to tiptoe away, and she jumped in surprise upon seeing him, almost dropping the pie crust she held. She went bright red, and she froze in place, staring at him. He smiled, and she blinked in reply.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked slowly.

Asgore shrugged. "Not long enough, in my opinion," he replied easily. 

"Gorey," she said. "Uh..." She cleared her throat. "I was just... It wasn't really..." She put the pie crust down and picked up a rolling pin, holding it up to him. "Tell anyone and you're going to regret it," she concluded.

He burst into laughter at that, unable to help it. She misunderstood and was right in front of him in moments, holding the rolling pin up to his neck and glaring. He put a hand on it and lowered it, leaning down to kiss her. She returned it, but briefly, before she pulled away and glowered at him. In reply, he hugged her.

She tapped his back lightly with the rolling pin, and he laughed again. "I won't tell anyone," he promised finally, between laughs. "But I think you should join in on karaoke night."

There was another tap, though she was blushing deeper at the idea, both horrified and intrigued by it. "Oh, certainly not," she snorted.

"Well, if not, at least keep singing here at home," Asgore replied, nuzzling the top of her head gently. "Frisk and I love it."

A third tap came from that, though she was now smiling. "Really? It sounds okay enough to put up with at home?"

"Yes," he agreed. "More than just okay, though: wonderful."

Toriel muttered something about his cheesiness to corniness ratio in response, which only got him laughing again. 

But she kept singing, only now she didn't hesitate when she knew someone could hear her. And soon, she did join karaoke night - rivalling even Mettaton with how often she sang.


	14. Awkward

"So," said Frisk. "When are you having kids?"

Both Toriel and Asgore choked on what they were eating or drinking from this. Asgore's tea went down his beard, and Toriel had to cough to dislodge the cake from her throat. Their eyes met, and they both blushed.

"Frisk," Toriel said after a moment. "That's rather abrupt."

She shrugged, sipping her tea calmly in reply. "Just making conversation."

Asgore mopped the tea from his chin and stared at her. "That's... not exactly an easy topic," he admitted.

"Why not?" Frisk wondered. "You and Mami have at least talked about it, right?"

They exchanged an embarrassed look, and Frisk stared at them both in disbelief. Toriel coughed, looking irritated. "It's... not an easy subject, child."

Frisk's eyes softened a bit, but she still added, "I'm just wondering, is all."

"Well, we don't know," Asgore said honestly. "But..." He met Toriel's gaze. "Perhaps we should discuss it."

Frisk lit up a bit, but Toriel added, "Not in front of you, dear Frisk." That earned her a sigh in response. "But we will let you know, whatever we decide, once we do."

"Okay," Frisk said, sounding satisfied. It was the end of that topic, as she went on about her latest meeting as ambassador, which was a very good distraction.

And yet, both Toriel and Asgore exchanged glances every once and a while, both thinking about the very same thing, now.

That night, when Frisk was asleep (or, more likely, online before she went to sleep), they sat down over evening tea and discussed it.

"Another child," Toriel murmured, a hand to her forehead. "To be honest, Gorey, I haven't even thought about it."

"You haven't?" Asgore sipped his tea, his eyebrows raised.

"No. Between Frisk, the school, and then you, I haven't even considered it."

Asgore lowered his cup. "And, now?"

"Now?" She sighed, her face falling. "Now I can't think of anything else."

His heart sped up a little, but his face remained calm. "Do you want another child, Tori?"

She looked up at him, her expression so sad and confused that it worried him. "Gorey, I don't know," she admitted, her eyes searching his. "Frisk is already a challenge, between her ambassador duties and having to always prove my worth as her mother to the human authorities in order to keep her..." She shut her eyes, her hand going over them. "Another child right now seems complicated."

Asgore's face fell, and he looked down into is mug. "Oh."

Her eyes opened, and she looked up at him again. "You want another," she observed. When he hesitated - then nodded - she reached out and grabbed his hand. "Oh, Gorey. I didn't know."

"It's alright," he admitted honestly. "You're right: Frisk should be our first priority right now. I don't want to lose her, either."

"Gorey," she said, her voice clear. "I haven't said no, forever." She squeezed his hand, and he looked at her. "But right now, I think, we should wait. At least until Frisk is grown."

It made sense, and he nodded, squeezing her hand back. "That sounds like a good plan," he agreed.

"We have all of the time in the world," she added, smiling at him gently. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Nor am I. And I can wait."

Toriel nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Gorey."

Asgore kissed her hand in reply, and she smiled.


	15. Lower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm now halfway through, but I've been thinking, and so I ask those of you who read these: should I go on and add 30 more? What do you think? Either way, it's all good for me :3

Asgore was sometimes surprised by Toriel's ardour. There was a part of him that wondered where she found the energy to spare. But then, it had been many, many years spent alone for both of them. He'd also forgotten just how she could be - but very quickly remembered.

The most surprising - and clarifying - moment was actually during school. It wasn't even during a break or a recess, but during regular class. Asgore had just finished one of his regular chores and had gone to the shed to swap out one tool for another, then he opened the door and found Toriel just sitting there. The moment their eyes met, she grinned at him, and he froze, recognising that grin and finding that much of the blood decided to vacate his brain and go elsewhere.

She stood up slowly and said, "Hello, Gorey."

He dropped the shovel and closed the door behind him, and she laughed softly. "Uh," he managed, and she crossed the distance and stood just a few centimetres away from him, her hands folded in front of her and her smile bright. He swallowed, recognising that look, too.

"How are you?" Toriel wondered, her voice low and her eyes sparking. She knew the effect she was having on him and was rather enjoying it. 

Asgore swallowed hard. "Distracted," he admitted.

"Oh, dear," she replied. "What would help with that, I wonder?"

"Tori," he said softly, his voice strained, and she finally pressed against him, her arms going around his neck. Asgore pulled her close, his arms around her already, and they kissed, Toriel purposefully rubbing against him in order to bring a small sound from him - and she smiled. From that, he knew she had a plan, and he felt his heart speed up just from the very thought of it.

She slowly pulled from the kiss and whispered, "Kiss me lower," proving him right. He leaned down and nuzzled her neck, his hands reaching beneath her shirt and unhooking her bra. She moved her hands down to pull at his shirt in response. He raised his head briefly, and they both removed their shirts with a shared grin, before Asgore returned to her neck, this time on the other side. His hands slid up and brushed over her breasts, and her hands went to his back, her fingers digging in.

"Lower," she murmured. "Kiss me lower."

Asgore closed his eyes and trailed his lips down from her neck to one breast, kissing her nipple gently before licking closely, and she leaned back a little with a sigh. He reached back with one hand and pressed it to her back to keep her steady, moving to her other breast to lick that nipple, too, and her eyes closed.

"Gorey..." she whispered. "Lower..."

He nodded, and her hands moved to his head, her fingers tangling into his hair. He reached down and slid off her skirt and underwear, his tongue following closely, one arm going around her waist to keep her steady. She stepped out of both as he kissed down her belly, and again, she whispered in a strained voice, "Lower, Gorey..."

Asgore knelt down and gently reached to part her legs, something she eagerly helped with, before he leaned in and licked along her already wet centre, slowly at first, before moving closer and parting her folds gently with his tongue. Toriel sighed again, her hands gripping onto his hair tighter, leaning back again, and he had to grab her again before she stumbled, but he didn't stop.

He moved his tongue up and licked over her clit slowly, and she tilted her head back and made a small sound in response. Encouraged, he dropped his tongue back to her centre, moving it slowly along, flicking the tip over her clit as he did, her taste so intoxicating to him.

"Gorey," she breathed out, her hands reaching up and grabbing onto his horns for balance as well as to pull him closer. He loved it when she did that, because it was an obvious sign that she was losing control and loving it. He looked up and saw that she was smiling, her eyes closed, and he shifted, the look turning him on even more than he already was. He held her tight and increased the speed of his tongue deep within her, and she moaned softly, her knees shaking a little.

"Gorey," she gasped out again, but her tone was different. "Gorey, please, I want you... I _need_ you..."

He raised his head slowly, licking his lips, and she staggered, holding onto him for balance. He stood up, and she grabbed his pants and pulled them off, her hands hot. She reached down and grabbed onto him, licking her own lips as she did, loving how hard he was, her eyes now open and flashing. Asgore was the one grabbing onto her for balance now, and he gasped out her name. She let go, grabbing his face and kissing him hard, and they both dropped down to the floor of the shed, Toriel already leaning back and pulling him on top of her. He followed, her legs going around his waist and pulling him down, and he couldn't help it, anymore - he moved close and pushed into her, and she moved her hips up to take him in deeper. They both moaned, muffled by their kiss, and Asgore leaned down onto his elbows and began to move, Toriel grabbing onto his shoulders and meeting each thrust.

It was quick, Toriel already close from his previous actions, and when she came, she buried her face into his neck and bit down gently, the sounds she made lancing deep for Asgore. He felt it, felt her orgasm course through her, and it quickly dissolved his own control. With a cry of her name, he followed her, holding her close as he did. Then, he collapsed, spent, and Toriel held him close, reaching up to stroke his hair away from his eyes, and he sighed deeply.

After a moment, when they had both managed to catch their breaths, Asgore raised his head and looked at Toriel, who gazed back at him with a satisfied smile. 

"Tori," he breathed out, reaching up and touching her cheek gently. "I've no idea where that came from, but it was wonderful."

She smiled wider, her eyes shining. "You," she replied. "It's you, and your hard work, and the way you do it so confidently and so happily... it's very alluring, Gorey, dear."

He stared at her. "Me, working... brought this on?"

"Oh, my, yes," she agreed, licking her lips again. He kissed those lips in reply, and she laughed softly. They both knew that this wouldn't be the only time this happened - and they both looked forward to more.


	16. Caring

Try as they might, neither Toriel nor Asgore could help but spoil Frisk. Both loved her so much, just as if she were of their own blood, that they sometimes even forgot she was human, she was so ingrained in their hearts and souls.

She wasn't spoilt rotten, mind you. But she certainly wasn't wanting anything. She especially loved books, and her room was filled with them, many of them unread but still being added to. Toriel also loved to read, and one of their favourite pastimes was to just sit and read together.

Asgore loved to take Frisk on trips, be it to the mall, or to a theme park, or anywhere, really. Toriel occasionally joined in, but more often than not she remained at home, preferring the quiet over the crowd - something Asgore and Frisk had no problem with.

Frisk loved her parents so much. Now that they had remarried (a small, civil ceremony on the surface followed by a huge party), Frisk felt like the luckiest kid in the entire world. She asked for things not because she was greedy, but to have multiple excuses to spend as much time with them as possible. She'd never known a real family before, so now that she had one, she wanted to fill her memories with just them, and erase whatever came before.

But there was one thing they could not give her yet, no matter how many times she begged, and that was a sibling.

They had sat her down and explained to her their plans, and she did something they'd never seen before: she burst into tears, so disappointed that she actually sobbed, hunching over and covering her face. They flanked her and held her close, bemused by the degree of her reaction; they'd expected disappointment, but not heartbreak.

"My dear child," Toriel said gently. "Why are you so sad?"

"Because I want you to be happy!" Frisk blurted out. "I know you're still sad over Asriel and Chara! I know I'm no match for either of them! I just want... I just wanted..." She trailed off, her tears choking off the rest of her words.

Asgore and Toriel's eyes met over Frisk's head, sharing the same expression of pained worry. Asgore leaned over and kissed his daughter on her forehead, and Toriel held her hand between hers, tight. 

"Why?!" Frisk burst out, looking up and glaring at them through her tears. "Why do you want to wait? Now is a wonderful time! There's peace! There's unity! If you have a baby, it'll bring monsters hope again!"

 _"You're_ our baby," Toriel answered gently.

"But it's not the same!" Frisk snapped. "I'm not of your blood! You're the King and Queen! People - your people - look up to you!"

"Frisk, we're not royalty anymore," Asgore corrected gently, brushing her hair behind her small, round ear. "We don't need silly things like heirs for the throne anymore."

"Please, Mami? Please, Papi?" Frisk begged, her gaze moving between them. "Please, change your minds? I... I want a sibling!" she finally admitted. "I... I want... I want a big family!" She fell into sobs again, and they held her closer.

 _Now_ they understood. Frisk must have been so lonely before she fell Underground, though she never talked about it. Clearly, that loneliness, despite the changes in her life, remained, and she wanted it filled, and desperately.

Asgore bit his lip. He wanted a baby, still. He looked at Toriel, who was looking at Frisk with deep sadness - but also deep uncertainty. She wanted one, too, but she was still afraid that it would hinder the custody arrangement she had with the humans. 

It was the one thing that they ultimately had to refuse her, and it hurt them almost as much as it hurt her. But the prospect of even possibly losing Frisk was too frightening to consider. 

However, both of their minds were deeply consumed by the idea, and it lingered on and on, growing stronger as time passed.


	17. Plead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one is a little more intense sex-wise than previous chapters, and it includes a little bit of bondage. So, er, if that's not your thing, you can skip this chapter and miss nothing. I promise :3. Otherwise, if it is, enjoy!

Toriel hadn't forgotten this aspect of her intimacy with Asgore, but she certainly had assumed that Asgore had. It was likely the most foolish assumption she'd made in a very long time - especially after her ambushing him in the shed.

She was quite aware that Asgore had likely planned this ever since that ambush, which was why Frisk was staying over at Alphys and Undyne's for the weekend. 

_Well,_ she thought, _I suppose it's his turn. I'll get my chance again._

But, oh, she'd forgotten the feel of magic used as restraints, the warmth around her wrists as they were held above her head and attached to the headboard of the bed. She'd forgotten the sensual simplicity of being naked, sitting up only due to being propped up by several pillows and the restraints. And she'd absolutely forgotten the sweet agony it was to not be able to be in control. 

Asgore began gentle, kneeling in front of her and between her legs, pressing close and kissing her hard, his hands on her breasts, kneading them gently, his thumbs flicking over her already-hard nipples. Between her legs, she could already feel that he, too, was hard, and she tried to move closer, tugging on the restraints a little. Asgore noticed and leaned back, just out of reach, and she growled softly, frustrated.

"Do I need to tie your feet, too, Tori, dear?" he wondered against her lips, and her eyes snapped open, meeting his. Her eyes blazed, while his sparked, and he chuckled a little. "Ah, there's the look," he murmured, touching her cheek, his other hand trailing lower. "There's the stubborn queen I married."

"Asgore," she growled, her hands clenching. "You'll only make it worse for you when it's my turn."

"Well, it's mine, now," he replied cheerfully, his hand now resting lighting between her legs. She bit her lip hard, her eyes burning hotter, and he stared back at her, eager for her reactions.

They had started this before Asriel was born. In fact, it was likely that Asriel was conceived during one of these moments. Asgore, frustrated by the pressure of his duties, once begged Toriel for a night in which he didn't have to think or command or do _anything_ up to him. Toriel, who had taken him seriously, said, very casually, "Well, I could tie you up and fuck you senseless." (She'd had a much looser tongue back then.) When Asgore suddenly found himself nodding eagerly, she grinned and did just that, and found it was an excellent form of relaxation.

They reversed roles when Asgore was tired of not having enough control over what was supposed to be his own government. Toriel listened to him vent, then said, in the same casual way, "You could tie me up and fuck me senseless." And he stared at her for almost a full minute before he managed to bring enough blood back to his brain to say yes. What he loved about that was that Toriel challenged him, putting up a fight at times, which made her surrender all the more sweet.

The rules were simple: whoever said 'please' first, lost. Of the two, Toriel held out the longest, but Asgore could handle more creative things, and always kept her guessing. It had even solved arguments at times, which both rather enjoyed, because both hated to fight - and both loved sex.

So now, with Asgore's hand so carefully still over her, she had to grit her teeth and dig her nails into her palms, willing herself to be still. Asgore smiled, his other hand still gently massaging her breast, and she inhaled sharply through her nose, unable to help feeling a stab of heat from hitting her centre at that.

Asgore leaned forward and kissed her again, softly at first, then with increased passion, licking her lips apart and meeting her tongue with his. She returned it, squirming a bit, her eyes closing. He reached up and touched the back of her head, pulling her closer in order to kiss her deeper, pressing his body against hers, which included his erection against her belly. She made a small sound at that but managed to keep still, though it was very difficult. 

When he pulled away from the kiss, she tried to follow to keep it going, but was kept in place. Asgore grinned, his eyes sparking mischievously, and he sat up on his knees, taking hold of her breasts in both hands as he did. Toriel watched him, biting down on her lip again, her eyes flaring. But just as she thought he would bring himself between her breasts, he instead leaned down and kissed her again. She glared at him, wanting to bite him for that, but instead she found her arms lowered. Asgore took hold of her forearms and placed her wrists together, the magic fusing together so that her hands now rested in her lap. She raised her head, and he just grinned at her. He loved to tease her that way, to always keep her guessing, and she both loved and hated it - but mostly loved it. 

He got up from the bed and stood up, and she raised her eyebrows. He pulled her to the edge of the bed and stood in front of her, his erection level with her face. With a smirk of her own, now, she leaned forward and licked the tip lightly, and he almost stumbled in surprise. But then he moved back, touching her cheek gently, and she leaned forward again, this time licking the tip before taking the head of him into her mouth, licking over it closely. Asgore's hands went to her head, and she felt another flash of heat hit her hard at that. 

Toriel pulled back, then lunged forward, taking his length into her mouth as deep as possible, her tongue working over him as she sucked down. Asgore groaned, his hips moving slowly to match her pace, and she reached up and grabbed the base of him with one hand, the other gently cupping around his balls. He groaned again, breathing out her name, and she grinned. She pulled back slowly, so that only her lips remained at the tip, and she teasingly licked along his foreskin before diving forward again, sucking down harder. His fingers twitched, and she moved her head faster, wanting him to beg, to hear him desperate for her...

Asgore suddenly pushed her away, breathing hard, and she blinked in shock, having tasted the fact that he was close. Bemused, she met his gaze, and he merely grinned at her, his face red, though he was panting a little. She scowled; she knew that look, and knew he wasn't going to plead, yet. She kept her hand on him and moved to take him back into her mouth, but he pushed her back again, instead separating her wrists again and pushing her down onto her back, pinning her wrists above her head and attaching them back to the headboard. He knelt down in front of her, and she struggled to keep her expression stubborn, though her heart raced. Judgeing from his expression, though, she was failing. 

He got down on his knees and elbows, parting her legs and grinning up at her, and she again had to bite down on her lip, her eyes blazing. He reached up with one hand and trailed his finger along her folds, feeling a jolt of his own when he felt how wet she already was. Without any more hesitation, he leaned down and ran his tongue along her centre, and she arched back in surprise, her breath hissing out between gritted teeth. He grabbed hold of her hips and moved closer, running his tongue along her folds and tasting her, shifting a little from the effect it had on him. He wanted to touch himself, but that was also an admission of defeat, and he barely managed to stop himself.

Toriel's hands were clenched again, her heels digging into the bed, and Asgore licked up and along her clit, circling it slowly with the tip of his tongue. She growled out at that, and he held her tighter and thrust his tongue deep into her. She jolted, gasping out his name, but she still didn't beg, so he kept going.

There was only one thing that was first before Asgore's tongue, and Toriel found herself losing control from the feel of that tongue. When he licked back up to her clit, she tugged on the restraints hard - only to gasp when he reached up with two fingers and pushed them deep inside of her, all while still licking her clit. Then, she was truly lost, her body moving of its own accord, feeling the pleasure build more and more with each move.

When she was close, she hooked her legs around his shoulders, groaning out his name--

\--and that was when he pulled away abruptly. 

Toriel's eyes snapped open in shock and dismay, trying to pull him back with her legs, but he easily slid away from her. She was panting, now, shaking, and he was sitting there, grinning and licking his fingers.

 _"Asgore!"_ she shouted, and he nodded, his eyes sparking again, and suddenly she knew she'd already lost. She shut her eyes, breathed out, and said, softly, "Please, Gorey."

"Hm?" He leaned closer. "What was that, Tori?"

She gritted her teeth, her eyes snapping open and blazing hot. She swallowed, then said, louder, _"Please,_ Gorey!"

He moved closer, slowly crawling over her to hover just a few inches apart from her. "Please, what, Tori?" he wondered.

She groaned, arching her back and trying so hard to touch him. "Gorey, please... please... please, just _fuck me!"_ she begged, losing control over her pride in her desperation.

She had barely finished before he kissed her again, hard, his hands going to her hips and pulling them up towards him. She arched back again, and he pushed into her, hard, fully with one thrust, and she gasped and tilted her head back and out of the kiss, her legs going around him and holding onto him tight. He stayed in place for a moment, and she again begged him, louder this time, her arms straining against the restraints.

The words lanced deep for Asgore, dissolving his control at last, and he held her hips and thrust into her again, moving hard and fast. She cried out in relief, moving to meet each thrust desperately, her muscles clenching around him so hard it sent him into a daze.

"Yes," Toriel growled out, her breaths gasps of need. _"Yes. There._ Please, Gorey, _there! Harder!"_

"Tori," he replied breathlessly, leaning down onto his elbows in order to angle her hips up higher, and he pushed deeper, hitting in just the right way. She groaned out his name, her eyes shut tight, and she kept whispering his name, her legs holding onto him so hard he was getting closer just from the feel of it.

"I'm close," Toriel gasped out, her face red and sweaty, now. "So close... don't you dare stop, Gorey! Don't you dare - stop - _fucking me!"_ She shouted it out, her voice breaking, and Asgore thrust as hard as he could, feeling her muscles clamp down on him and go hot as she came, so hard he felt her wetness increase. It was the last straw for him, and he groaned out her name in response, holding her up to him and clinging to her as his orgasm hit. She felt it, hot and intense, and she gasped, holding onto his waist tight so that she could feel it all within her.

The moment Asgore collapsed, Toriel's restraints vanished, and her arms dropped at her sides limply. They both were gasping for breath, boneless and practically high from how intense it had been. Both had forgotten how it could be, how incredible, and neither had prepared for it. Thus, for quite some time, they lay in silence together. 

Then, in a tiny voice, Toriel whispered, "I'm sorry... I swore." Asgore slowly raised his head and gazed at her. Her eyes were still closed, but she was smiling faintly. "I couldn't... help it..." she admitted.

"You always had... a severe mouth when we did this..." he replied, resting his head back on her chest, listening to her heart racing. 

"I'd forgotten," she murmured, reaching up with a shaky hand and touching his hair lightly, feeling how damp with sweat it was. "It makes me feel... so much younger..."

"And you swore black and blue when we were younger," he agreed, laughing softly. "You only stopped when Asriel was born."

"A mother needs to be polite!" she insisted, but even she knew it was a silly thing to say. She was a mother now and she still had sworn. 

"Not in bed," he replied cheerfully, sliding his arms around her waist. She looped her arms around his neck, still stroking his hair slowly, and he sighed deeply.

"I'm so glad we're not too old for this," she murmured. "Especially since I have to get my revenge on you."

Asgore burst into laughter at that, and she joined him. It was rather funny, after all. They were both old, yes, but not in body - and certainly not in desire for each other.

It didn't take long for them to fall asleep after that, sleeping long through the afternoon. In the evening, they woke up starving, and decided to eat in bed. 

Then, it was Toriel's turn.

It was an excellent weekend.


	18. Believe

It was late into the night, and Asgore was again wide awake. He was holding Toriel in his arms, listening to her gentle breathing and loving the feel of her resting against his chest in her slumber. She was so warm and soft, and he didn't want to sleep, wanting instead to enjoy this moment.

There was a dark part of him, buried deep, that was still afraid of losing Toriel. It was nothing she did that made him feel that way. If anything, he felt even closer to her than ever before, second only to when they had Asriel. She was wonderful, so open and loving, and even when they argued, he didn't feel this fear.

But at moments like this, in the dark hours of the night, his heart seized and he felt panic fill him. Even when he was holding her in his arms, he was afraid. He knew he had changed, and had made amends for his heinous crimes as best as he could. He knew that Toriel had forgiven him and started trusting him again. There was nothing that should make him feel this way, still. But then, he'd lost everything once before in the span of day, and those scars, so many years later, were still raw.

Suddenly, startling him, he felt Toriel's hand reach up and touch his cheek. His heart now pounding, he looked down and found her awake, her eyes on his. They were soft, her expression gentle, and she rubbed his whiskered cheek so tenderly he felt a lump in his throat and his eyes start to burn.

"Gorey, my dear," she said softly. "What's wrong? Your heart is racing."

Asgore opened his mouth to explain, but ended up closing it, his words now choked by the sudden onslaught of tears brought on by her kindness. He buried his face into her chest and held her close, weeping softly and shaking, and she held him close to her, stroking his long hair slowly.

"Oh, Gorey," she murmured, kissing his forehead. "What's hurting you so much?"

"Tori," he choked out, breathing in her comforting scent. "I don't want to lose you, Toriel."

She paused. He rarely used her full name, so when he did, he had her full attention. "My love," she replied, kissing him again, her other hand around his shaking shoulders. "You couldn't lose me if you tried. Things are different, now. They will not revert back. I'm yours til dust, Asgore."

Asgore clung to her tight, his tears increasing to sobs, and she closed her eyes and bit her lip, her own eyes filling. 

"Please, Gorey, dear, believe me?" Toriel whispered. 

"I do," he said, his voice thick. "I do, Tori."

"Do you trust me?"

Asgore raised his head, about to agree - and saw her tears. His heart ached, and he sat up and brushed her tears away. "Oh, Tori, don't weep. I'm so sorry. I of course trust you, with my life." His words were still marred by his tears, but she understood. She in turn used the sleeve of pyjama top to clean his face, and he closed his eyes, another sob escaping him.

Toriel leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his, stroking his hair again, her eyes closing. "I as well," she whispered. "Nothing will keep me apart from you if it's within my control. Please, never forget."

Asgore nuzzled her gently, cheek to cheek, his eyes still closed. "I don't know why I get so scared," he admitted.

"Tell me what I can do to ease your pain," she answered, her other hand on his shoulder, rubbing gently.

Asgore felt another lump in his throat, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and burying his face into her shoulder, shaking. Toriel held onto him tight, her own body trembling, both now suddenly filled with the pain of the past. 

"Please, Gorey, tell me," Toriel repeated tearfully. "I want you to be happy."

"Tori," he sobbed, holding her tighter. "Just love me. Please, don't stop loving me, Tori."

"I never stopped, all of these years," she said softly, closing her eyes. "Why would I ever stop now?"

Asgore pulled back and kissed her, holding her close. She returned it, and he whispered, "Toriel, make love to me." In reply, she grabbed onto his shirt and tugged on is to pull it off. Both suddenly felt that same kind of need, borne of desperation and the urge to prove their love to each other. 

In moments, they were naked, and soon after, Asgore was on top of Toriel and inside of her. She held him close, and he kept still for a moment, his face buried into her chest, still weeping a little, as was she. She held him close, her eyes shut, her face pressed against the top of his head, both relishing in the feel of their bodies connected. It was comforting, the deep comfort of physical, sensual healing, and their hearts beat together as a result.

When Asgore began to move, Toriel pulled his face up to hers and kissed him. He moved slow, almost lazily, the goal not to shatter their senses and overwhelm their bodies, but to feel as one, to merge body and soul, to feel every second together and think of nothing else but each other. It was so smooth and in sync that when Toriel came, it was from such a slow build that it was all the more sweet, and she purred against his lips, her eyes filling again. Asgore held her close, shortly following her and hitting his own peak not long after, his cries muffled by her kiss, his hands holding onto her face gently.

For a moment, they kept kissing, Asgore still moving a little through brief sparks of aftershock, before he stopped, remaining pressed against her. Soon, they broke the kiss, breathing hard but still crying a little. They stared into each other's eyes, their foreheads pressed together again.

"Toriel," he murmured, and her eyes softened, her hands covering his. "Thank you, Tori. Sometimes... I need reassurance, and you always know how to do it in a way I'll never forget."

She smiled, the gesture warming his heart and soul. "Do always try to remember, Gorey, my love," she replied gently. "Because it will always be the same."

Asgore kissed her again, and she held him close. Finally, he knew he could sleep, and he pulled the blanket over them both. They got comfortable together, and soon they fell asleep, their hearts still beating together, even as they dreamt.


	19. Found

Time seemed to slip through their fingers faster than they could even fathom. With it, Toriel's school flourished, so well that, by its second year, it was finally allowed to have humans attend. Frisk was of course the first - and for a while, the only - human student. With her success, as well as her continued growing influence as ambassador, by the third year, a fourth of the students were human.

Both Toriel and Asgore were thrilled. Seeing human and monster children together, playing and becoming friends, was like a dream come true. Granted, not all was perfect, and occasionally some conflict arose between the two races, but it never escalated beyond what Toriel or Frisk could handle.

At first, the human kids were terrified of Asgore, having heard of his history from their parents as well as the news. But when he showed them no threat and greeted them with kindness, they began to relax, and even eventually start to tease and prank him. He loved it. 

Frisk was happy, too. Every day, as the three walked home together, she would exult over how her day went, and her parents always listened to every word, happy that she was happy. 

It had taken almost three years, but it truly seemed as if the road to true peace between humans and monsters had finally started to be built - and built to last, too.

One evening, over dinner, Frisk was grinning as she ate, unable to help herself. "Mami," she said, her mouth full. "Can you believe it'sh almostsh been--,"

"Eat or talk, child," Toriel broke in sharply, "but never do both."

Frisk paused, then shrugged, choosing to eat, which made her parents laugh. Trust Frisk to be practical, even over dinner.

"But, yes," Toriel continued. "It's wonderful that it's almost been three years. And there's been so much progress to go along with them, far more than I certainly ever expected."

Asgore nodded with a smile, also choosing to eat over speaking.

When she could, Frisk added, "I'm so glad I can go to your school, Mami. I finally feel like I belong somewhere."

With a start, both Toriel and Asgore stared at her. "Frisk, you didn't feel like you belonged, before?" wondered Asgore.

"Not outside of this house, or with the others, nope," she agreed between mouthfuls. "I finally feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be."

Both Toriel and Asgore placed a hand on her head, and she blushed and looked up shyly. When they saw that they looked at her with shared love, she smiled. 

"My dear child," said Toriel softly, gently stroking Frisk's hair. "You've no idea how happy this makes us to hear you say that."

Asgore nodded, swallowing a lump of tears. "It's all we've ever wanted for you."

Frisk swallowed, too, her eyes filling with tears suddenly. At the sight, her parents were immediately on their feet and had their arms around her, and she sniffled, grabbing hold of their arms and burying her face into the closest one - Asgore's. Over her head, Toriel and Asgore looked at each other, both close to tears, now, as well.

"I... I love you, Mami, Papi," Frisk whispered. "I'm so happy, here... I'm so glad you're my parents..."

"We love you," Asgore murmured, his eyes closed.

"And we're so happy you're here, too, and that we're you're parents," Toriel agreed, kissing the top of Frisk's head. 

_"Are_ you truly happy?" wondered Frisk, looking up at the both of them. _"Truly_ happy, despite all that you've lost?"

Asgore couldn't speak, now, trying to control his tears, so Toriel said, "Yes, my girl. I think this is the happiest we've ever been in a long, long time, and all because of you."

Frisk bit her lip, then buried her face back into Asgore's arm, crying again. Her parents held her closer, sniffling a little, themselves, but all three shared that same happiness, that same kind of completion, that comes with finding your true family, the people you belong with, at last.


	20. Shield

When Frisk was thirteen years old, she hosted her first press conference. She also experienced her first assassination attempt.

It began very well. Frisk was all smiles, and her presentation was almost flawless. Though she defaulted on being quiet more often than not, when she needed to speak - and speak well - she could, and in a way that commanded everyone who heard her to give them her utmost attention.

The topic was easier transit between the surface and the Underground, for both monsters and humans. For a while, the default for any kind of transit was to depend on ID checkpoints, something that had been working rather well for the past three years. However, as time went on, people wanted something easier and faster. 

Frisk was initially frustrated, as she had though the ID system was the best system there could be. She and her parents had spent an entire afternoon trying to figure out a better way. It took them hours - and felt like longer - but Asgore was the one who suggested to just abolish them all and let free travel go through. Toriel was sceptical, as was Frisk, but in the end, they decided that it would hurt to at least suggest it.

It was what Frisk was doing at the podium, flanked by Asgore and Toriel as she stood there, all smiles. When she was about to introduce the new plan, something caught Asgore's eye from the back of the room, a flash of metal, and before his brain could even name it, his body had moved; he lunged in front of Frisk and raised his arm, the other thrown out over his daughter protectively. In second, he felt two sharp stings of pain hit his arm, and he growled out, the pain increasing the more time went on.

Toriel jumped forward a moment after, shoving Frisk behind her and throwing her hands out with a sharp shout. A flash of fire burst out from between them and chained together, forming a thin wall over the three of them. By then, someone - more than one person, actually - had angrily tackled the shooter and had taken their gun away, and though there was panic, there was more outrage over the attempt. 

"Papi!" Frisk cried, moving out from behind Toriel and going to Asgore's side. He was leaning against the podium, his injured arm held close to his chest, but he, too, was glaring at the person responsible, despite the pain he felt. Frisk's voice snapped him from his angry reverie, and he looked down at her. She was pale, her eyes wide with fear and worry, and she placed a hand on his other arm. "Papi, are you okay?!"

"Asgore." Toriel had lowered her hands the moment the shooter was subdued, moving them instead to her husband and touching him gently on his shoulder. "Oh, Gorey..." She moved her hands to over the wounds, her fingers shimmering, and she bit her lip, the amount of blood worrisome. Asgore leaned against her now, gritting his teeth against the pain, and her magic numbed it a little, though she couldn't heal it.

A human rushed over to them, a phone in their hand. "Yes," they said, their eyes falling on Asgore's arm. "Someone was shot. We need an ambulance."

"No," Asgore broke in, though his voice was a lot softer than he intended it to be. "I don't need--,"

"Shut up, Gorey," Toriel snapped, and Frisk nodded in agreement, her face furious and her eyes full of tears. Toriel kept her hands over his arm, keeping it as numb as possible, and Frisk held onto his other arm, her fingers digging in hard.

Needless to say, the press conference ended there.

The ambulance did come, and had both a human and a monster paramedic, who immediately looked over Asgore. They both agreed that he needed the hospital; the bullets had embedded into his arm and not only needed to be removed, but he would need treatment as well. He protested, but was ignored. Both Toriel and Frisk remained at his side on the way to the hospital, though Frisk was the only one crying; Toriel was calm, but her eyes blazed. 

Luckily, the bullets missed major arteries, but one hit bone, and as a result, Asgore would need a cast as well as the standard bandages. During the removal of the bullets, Asgore stayed awake but was given both topical as well as IV pain medication. He was oddly quiet, as usually he would try to get the doctors and nurses to laugh. His thoughts distracted him, and he stayed quiet. 

Frisk and Toriel had to wait, and Frisk spent the first part sobbing. She usually didn't cry that way, but both shock and dismay overrode her normal emotional control, and Toriel understood. Frisk was furious that Asgore was hurt; she didn't seem to care that she, herself, had almost been killed, but instead was enraged that Asgore was hurt because of her. Toriel held her close and told her that it wasn't her fault - because it wasn't - but Frisk was still very upset, and took a while to calm down.

By then, she was more angry than sad, another emotion that rarely flared up in her. Toriel was actually surprised by the degree of rage that erupted from her small daughter.

"Why?" Frisk snarled, glaring up at Toriel. _"Why,_ Mami? Why did that jerk shoot? What is _wrong_ with them? Why do they want to hurt us?!"

Toriel stroked Frisk's hair slowly, a lump in her throat. "I don't know, child," she admitted. "I suppose people are unhappy that we're on the surface."

"It's been _three years!"_ Frisk burst out. "Why are they angry _now?"_

"Maybe we've only just seen it, now, my dear," Toriel said softly.

"Papi got hurt," Frisk said, her voice wavering. "Papi got hurt because of their stupidity. They better go to jail, Mami!"

Toriel hugged her closer, biting her lip. She didn't say what came to her mind, and that if Asgore hadn't stepped in, Frisk would very likely have been killed. The thought was horrifying enough. Toriel was also furious that Asgore had gotten hurt, of course she was. But if he hadn't of thought fast and stepped in... Toriel hugged Frisk tighter, giving her a gentle kiss on the top of her head. Frisk sniffled, burying her face into her mother's shoulder.

When they finally could see him, both Toriel and Frisk hugged onto Asgore tight, though both were careful around his now-cast arm. He was sitting up in one of the cots, looking exhausted but relieved to see them both. He kissed Toriel softly, but held Frisk to him tight, closing his eyes and swallowing hard, especially when she started to cry again.

"Papi," she sobbed into his shoulder. "I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

Asgore looked up at Toriel, his eyes full, and she touched his cheek lightly. "I'll be fine," he replied softly. "Please don't be sorry, Frisk. You did nothing wrong."

"You got shot because of my stupid press conference," she answered.

"No," he corrected gently. "I got shot because someone made a poor decision out of anger and ignorance."

"Frisk." Toriel put a hand on her shoulder. "My dear, can you do me a favour? Can you get me some coffee?"

Frisk nodded, pulling away and rubbing the tears from her face with her sleeves, then left, walking slowly, getting a gradual hold on herself as she did - which was the point.

Toriel immediately grabbed Asgore into a hug, holding him close to her. He returned it as best as he could, closing his eyes. "Gorey, my love," she whispered. "You saved her life."

He nodded slowly, reluctantly. "I know. I don't even want to think about what could've happened, otherwise." 

Toriel held him tighter, closing her eyes and nodding. "She has no idea," she said, stroking his hair slowly. He sighed, comforted by that. "Do we tell her?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "She's our ambassador, Tori. Why would anyone want to kill her?"

Toriel swallowed hard. "I would assume because they hate monsters."

"Frisk is a human."

"But she's a human fighting for us, for monsters," Toriel said.

Asgore was silent in response to that, because he knew she was right. Toriel pulled him even closer and hugged him as tight as she could, and he could feel her shaking a little. "It's okay, Tori," he said softly. "Everything is okay."

"You scared me," she whispered. "I'm so relieved you're safe, my love."

"And Frisk as well," Asgore agreed, kissing her gently.

When she came back, they decided to tell Frisk the truth. She took it well enough, though she looked sad, still, that Asgore was hurt because of her, however indirectly. But she handled it rather well, considering that the shots were meant to kill her. Oddly, if anything, that made her seem all the more the ambassador for them, and she seemed far older than her age. She made sure, as a result, that the person responsible was punished for it, as well as applied for another conference as soon as she could.

But at home, she also made sure to take care of Asgore when she could, so grateful - and also feeling a little guilty - for how it turned it out. Asgore, himself, didn't regret it: his arm would heal, but if Frisk had been killed, nothing would be okay after that. So he continued to make sure it would never happen - no matter what.


	21. Open

"Asgore, we need to talk."

Asgore blinked awake and turned to Toriel, the tone of her voice chasing away any semblance of slumber left from him. Toriel was sitting up in bed, and in the dim light, he could see that she looked serious. He sat up and nodded.

"Asgore," she said softly, looking down at her hands clasped in front of her. "I... I think I've come to a decision."

"You think?" he echoed, confused.

She glared at him, and he shut up, biting his lip. "I _have_ come to a decision." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "When Frisk turns sixteen, I'd... I'd like to start trying for another child."

Asgore stared at her, speechless. Frisk had just turned fourteen, after all, and while two years seemed like a long time to wait, it actually wasn't - at least to those immortal. Toriel reached out and touched his cheek, her expression softening, and he swallowed, hard, on the brink of tears.

"Truly," she added gently, noticing how his eyes filled with tears. He closed his eyes and moved close, pulling her into a tight hug, sniffling, unable to hold back his tears, now. It was a big decision, one they both knew not to tread into lightly, and soon, Toriel herself was brought to tears, the gravity of the decision hitting her, hard.

There was sadness, there: the loss of Asriel hovering over their heads and permeating their hearts - as well as the loss of Chara. Nothing would ever replace those losses, especially of Asriel. But there was also hope, and optimism there, too: the promise of a new future, of another chance at hope. 

Things were different, now, on the surface. This was just another step. One they both wanted to take together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter (and the jump in time). There's a reason for it, trust me. But I do apologise because it is rather sudden x_x;;


	22. Tactile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More vanilla bondage warning :D.

It was Toriel's turn, now, and she'd forgotten how incredible it could be. Asgore was sitting up in their bed, absolutely naked, his wrists magically bound together above his head and fused to the headboard. He was breathing hard, his eyes a little glazed with lust and fixed on her, watching her every move. She was straddling his legs, her hands on his hips, her mouth already on his cock, sucking down closely on the head but not moving down beyond it or taking any more of his length deeper. Every time she leaned back so that her lips barely brushed over the tip of him, his eyes shut and he swallowed hard, occasionally having to swallow a low groan. Every once and a while, she would shift over one of his legs so that he could feel how wet she already was, smiling at him as she did.

She loved the feel of his cock against her lips, the smooth skin so nice against her tongue, his foreskin similar. When she sucked down on the head, she loved how she could feel it throb in time with Asgore's racing heartbeat. His hips beneath her hands, while a little soft, were also narrow, and she could feel the bone slightly beneath her palms. When she slipped them down to his ass and gripped onto his cheeks, the softness as well as firmness always delighted her; there was a good reason why she called him Fluffybuns, after all.

Without warning, Toriel lunged down and took the full length of him deep into her mouth, and Asgore arched back with a gasp, his hips thrusting up in response. She grabbed the base of his cock hard with one hand, sucking down and letting the tip of him tease the back of her throat as much as she was able. He groaned, his eyes rolling up and his hands clenching into fists, his legs jerking a little. With a grin, she began to move her head up and down quickly, her other hand cupping his balls gently as she did. He met her moves, breathing hard, and she shifted against his legs again so that he could he feel how wet she still was.

She kept going until she heard him hiss out her name; then she pulled back quickly and let go, grinning. Asgore bucked in protest, his eyes snapping open and meeting hers, and she sat back and licked her lips. Then, still watching him, she reached up and ran her hands over her breasts, and he stared at her, spellbound.

"Tori," he whispered, his voice hoarse.

"Yes, Gorey, dear?" she replied cheerfully, leaning down and pressing her chest against his cock, positioning it between her breasts and holding them together over it. His eyes closed again, anything he was going to say vanishing from his mind, and he thrust his hips up slowly, his heels digging into the bed. The feel of him between her breasts was a kind of sensual experience that she truly found fascinating. The hardness of his cock between her soft breasts always became an interesting contrast, one they both loved, and occasionally, she'd lean down and flick her tongue over the head of his cock teasingly.

"Tori..." he said again, louder, drawing out her name. She grinned at him deviously, nodding and wondering if he was about to submit. He stared at her, his face red, and he bit his lip hard, his eyes flashing stubbornly, which sort of disappointed her. In reply, she moved away, sitting up and crawling over him, so that his cock pressed against her belly. She leaned down and licked one of his nipples slowly, loving how it instantly hardened beneath her tongue. He gasped again, and she swirled her tongue around it before licking again. He shifted his hips against her, and in reply she went to his other nipple, her hands on his hips tight to stop him from moving anymore. When his breathing became raspy, she pulled away and looked up at him questioning. He opened his eyes, then closed his mouth, still looking stubborn.

With a soft laugh, Toriel got up and moved his hands so that he lay down flat on his back, before promptly sitting down right on his face. With a soft moan, he began to lick her folds apart, flicking his tongue over her clit and making her gasp with a smile. She leaned back, her hands on his hips for balance, and he pushed his tongue deep into her centre. "Mm," she murmured, closing her eyes, and he moaned again in reply, pushing his tongue deeper, his hands straining against his restraints. The feel of his tongue over her already sensitive folds was absolutely intoxicating, and soon she moved along with him, her face going red. With an eager sound, he increased the speed of his tongue, and she leaned back further, inhaling sharply, trying to smother her cries but failing.

"Yes, Gorey..." she whispered, gritting her teeth, her nails digging into his hips, feeling his cock still hard against the small of her back. "Keep going, and don't stop until I come," she demanded through her teeth. With another eager sound, he did just that, his eyes closed, clearly enjoying himself. She felt her body getting hotter and hotter, until she finally felt her control snap, and she stumbled with a cry, her whole body flashing hot with the strength of her orgasm. She stiffened, her breath catching, before she leaned to the side and fell onto her back beside him limply, gasping for breath, momentarily overcome completely. 

"Tori," Asgore whispered. Her eyes opened slowly, meeting his gaze with heavy-lidded eyes. "Tori... please. I'm begging you. _Please."_

Slowly, feeling delightfully boneless, she smiled at him and crawled back onto him, straddling him and moving her slick folds over his still-hard cock slowly. _"Please, Tori!"_ he groaned, arching back, and she grabbed hold of his shoulders and lowered herself down onto him, taking him fully within her. Asgore shut his eyes and moaned again, his hands clenching. _"Yes,"_ he hissed out. With a smirk, she began to move, and he met each move with a thrust of his own, sending small aftershocks into her as he did.

Holding onto his shoulders tight and gripping around his hips with her thighs, she began to ride him quickly, at a fast pace that she knew he loved, and he groaned out desperately, his head thrown back. "Tori," he cried out, and she closed her eyes, loving that tone of voice. But then he surprised her. "Tori, come again for me. Please, please come again for me."

Blinking in surprise, but also incredibly aroused, still, she adjusted herself on him and changed the pace so that he hit deep in just the right way within her. With a gasp of her own, her still-reeling core feeling even hotter the faster she moved, she grabbed onto his hips and dug her nails in hard, lowering her head and gritting her teeth. "Gorey," she growled out, already close again. With a breathless response of her name, he met each of her moves, and soon, she staggered above him, hit again hard with the force of her second orgasm. He felt it, felt her flash hot and become even wetter, and he arched back with a low growl of his own, losing hold of his own control and coming right after her. She felt it with a gasp, so hot within her, and she cried out his name, relishing in the feel of it, before resting her forehead heavily on his heaving chest.

At that moment, the restraints vanished, and she collapsed on top of him hard, shaking. He immediately pulled her closer, his arms going around her tight, and she clung to him. They could feel their hearts racing against each other, both gasping for breath, but both also reeling on that delicious wave of pleasure that they both shared.

It took a while before either of them could move, let alone speak. Slowly, Toriel raised her head and kissed Asgore gently, still breathing hard. He reached up and cupped her face into his hands, returning it. When they broke apart, their eyes met and they looked at each other, wearing similar expressions of dazed bliss. 

Softly, Asgore said, "I will never, ever get tired of this, Tori."

She smiled faintly, nuzzling his nose with hers. "Sex while tied up, or sex in general, my love?"

"Of us," he corrected, brushing her hair from her eyes gently. "Of us, together, like this, no matter the method."

Toriel closed her eyes and smiled wider, reaching up and sliding her arms around his waist, resting her face into the crook of his neck. "My Gorey," she whispered. 

It was all she needed to say.


	23. Journey

It was Frisk's idea, one that surprised the both of them, less because of the suggestion and more because neither of them had thought of it, sooner: a visit to the Underground.

"I have to go, anyway," Frisk explained. "I'd love some company, and I know you've been missed."

Both Toriel and Asgore glanced at each other with the same expression: embarrassment. Neither had been there in years, too wound up in their new lives on the surface. Frisk was the only one of the three who still paid regular visits there, and it was rather shameful.

Frisk didn't make them feel bad about it, though it was clear she knew. She added, "You can catch up on those still living there, especially in the city." And she smiled, which made them both relax. "There's one thing you should both know, though," Frisk suddenly added. "I don't think it's a good idea to visit the Ruins just yet."

They both looked bemused, especially Toriel, who had made the place her home for many, many years. "But, why not, child? I would love to visit the monsters there. I have missed them, after all."

Frisk blushed suddenly, though from what, they had no inkling whatsoever. "It's sort of complicated, but there's a monster there who would react rather badly to either of you being there. It's not a good idea. Trust me on this. It's not worth the risk. I've tried and tried to talk to him about it, but nothing changes. So for now, it's probably best to avoid it - and him."

Toriel looked disappointed, because she was. She had been looking forward to seeing the kind monsters who had been her gentle friends for so long, but Asgore placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently, and she felt comforted by that. "Alright, Frisk. What about New Home?"

Frisk lit up. "Absolutely! New Home misses you both, actually, especially you, Mami! I know they'd love to see you both, even though now the number of people there is much, much smaller."

With that settled, the three went Underground from the checkpoint closest to New Home, now excited by the prospect of being welcomed. Toriel, especially, was rather giddy, as it had been many years since she had been there, and had rather missed the busyness of the big city - at least, that was how it had been referred to Underground, though compared to the human versions of big cities, it was more of a regular city, if anything. 

Almost immediately, Frisk was greeted with such warmth and kindness that it touched her parents deeply. To see the care and affection that Frisk evoked from the people Underground was a wonderful reflection of how well she did her job, and it made her parents very proud of her indeed. 

And once those same people saw Toriel and Asgore behind her, there was even more warmth to be had, as they had been both beloved by the people of the city - and also had been sorely missed. Every single person they met were so happy to see them that many stumbled over their own feet (or equivalent) to shake their hands or even hug them (especially Asgore). Some even cried, they were so happy.

Soon, the rumour of their arrival preceded them, and people were crowding around ahead of them to meet and greet them. Frisk was smiling so happily her cheeks hurt, but that didn't stop her from taking the time to speak to as many people as she could - and by name. Asgore and Toriel were incredibly impressed by this, almost to the point of speechlessness, as Frisk seemed to be able to remember almost all of the names of the people she met. 

It was a wonderful day, spent catching up with the remainder of the Underground, but it was indeed exhausting for all three of them. By the time the sun was beginning to go down, all three were drooping a little, and it was Toriel who suggested that it was time to go home.

Once on the surface and back at New New Home, Toriel said, "That was wonderful, Frisk."

Frisk grinned at her, blushing a little. "It was, wasn't it? They missed you so much. And now they're so happy to see you again. I hope you both will come with me more often, if you want to, if you can."

Asgore nodded almost immediately, looking delighted. "Truly, I'd forgotten the simple joy of walking around and greeting them. I hadn't realised how much I missed it until I started it again. I'd love to do it again."

"Me, too," Toriel agreed. "Will you remember us next time you go back?"

"Of course!" Frisk beamed up at them, looking as if it were her birthday. "I loved spending that time with you! It was wonderful! I was actually going to ask if you would!"

Once they got home, Frisk asked if she could rest a bit before dinner, and of course her parents agreed. As she did, Asgore and Toriel sat down at the kitchen table together with tea, looking at each other in amazement.

"She's incredible," Asgore blurted out with no preamble. "Did you see how many people she knew, how many names she had memorised? How many people knew her? Loved her, even?"

Toriel nodded in agreement, her face sombre. "It's so easy to forget that our little girl is not little, and almost a woman. And, above all, a true ambassador."

"When I asked her to be our ambassador, I had no idea just how well she would take to it," Asgore admitted, a little embarrassed by that. "I had no idea how... _beloved_ she would become, especially to monsters."

"She makes it look so easy, Gorey," Toriel agreed, blushing a little. "It took me many years to become politically savvy, especially with my short fuse."

"And I as well, but less so with anger and more with being less of a pushover," Asgore agreed with a sage nod. "I don't know how a small child from seemingly no where with no political background ended up growing up into such an amazing politician, but here she is."

Toriel smiled warmly at him, taking his hand, and he smiled back, squeezing hers in reply. "You're proud of her."

"I am so proud of her," he agreed. 

"Me, too." 

"Seeing her today... I have confidence that, once we're gone, she'll be able to take care of herself."

Toriel tilted her head. "Once we're gone?" She blinked, then smiled. "Ah, yes. Once we have a child again, we'll age again. We're bound to pass on before her once that happens." 

Asgore nodded. "I used to be afraid of that, of leaving her behind that way, or worse, of her leaving us behind, and us never being able to match her standards or methods. Now, however, I know much better." He smiled brightly, though his eyes were a little teary. "I can't believe how lucky we are, Tori."

She reached up and cupped his face into her hands, gently brushing the tears away with her thumbs. "We're lucky because of her for many reasons," she agreed. "And I'm so glad she fell - and that she was good, and survived. We gained so much because of her."

Asgore reached up and covered her hands with his, lowering his gaze as his tears fell. He nodded slowly. He knew exactly what she meant. 

"Someday, Gorey, she'll surpass us," Toriel said gently, and he opened his eyes and nodded again. "And when she does, she'll outshine us all."

"I can't wait, Tori," he agreed, his smile so wide he showed fang. "I cannot wait. She'll be so wonderful. And the world will be better in her hands."


	24. Scowl

Asgore knew he probably shouldn't, but he loved it when Toriel scowled at him. Regardless of the situation, and even when he knew damn well that he deserved it, he couldn't help but feel deep affection for her whenever she did.

Sometimes - and he knew this was childish - he went out of his way to make her scowl, just to see her do it. He was sure that she never knew it - but Frisk did, and it drove his daughter crazy.

For example: Once, during dinner, he went out of his way to drop his fork to the floor and be too lazy to get another one, instead opting to eat with his hands. Toriel glowered at his lack of manners, and demanded that he get up and get a new fork - or she'd feed him the one from the floor.

Trying very hard not to laugh, he replied, "Yes, Tori, dear," and did just that, making sure to smile out of her sight. When he sat back down, Toriel sniffed at him and turned to Frisk, asking her how her day was. Frisk gave Asgore a dark look before turning to her mother and telling her.

Later, when Frisk and Asgore were going the dishes, Frisk hissed at him, "I _know_ what you're doing!"

 _Damn,_ he thought. "You _are_ rather smart, Frisk," he replied cheerfully, handing her a cup.

"Don't be cute!" she snapped, sounding so much like Toriel that he had to swallow a laugh. "You like making her get all glarey and irritated, don't you?"

"Why would I like that?" he wondered idly.

Frisk gave him a withering look. "I'm not a child, Papi. You like her passion or whatever. You're gross!"

Asgore snorted out a laugh, unable to help himself now. He doubled over and laughed hard, so much that he was practically crying by the end.

Frisk made a gagging noise and threw a handful of suds at him. "I knew it!" she growled. "Papi, why?!"

Asgore smiled at her. "It's as you say, dear daughter: her passion. When she gets that way, she reminds me of when we were both young."

"Technically you're still kinda young," Frisk answered sharply, looking unimpressed by his explanation.

"When you find yourself in love, Frisk, you'll understand," he replied cheerfully.

Frisk went pink, looking away and glaring at the dishes in front of her, saying nothing to that. He peered at her curiously, suddenly wondering what would cause a look like that, but decided to leave it alone.

But it was true what he said: even at her most frustrated, there was something very endearing about her exasperation towards him. When she was like that, she reminded him of when they were impetuous and younger, still learning how to be royalty as well as trying to learn who they, themselves, were at the same time. It was a glimpse of the woman she was when she was still carefree and unburdened by pain and loss, and even if he were the target of that frustration, he welcomed it if it meant a distraction for her, too.

"Asgore, why the hell would you leave your towels in the hallway?!" Toriel snapped at him one evening, luckily after Frisk went to sleep (she didn't like to swear in front of Frisk). She pointed to them, where he had purposely left them there in the morning just for this moment.

"Uh," he said sheepishly, actually feeling a little sorry, now. Perhaps it _was_ rather childish, what he was doing. But then he met her gaze, and he saw... _something..._ in her eyes just then, just for split second, so fast that he wondered if he'd imagined it.

"There are baskets in both the bathroom _and_ our bedroom!" she continued, her hands on her hips, her glare so sharp it could cut glass. "Did your hands break on the way out of your shower this morning?"

"Uh," he tried again, trying to see if he could catch a glimpse of that something again.

No such luck. She sighed, tossed the towels at him - which he caught easily - and stormed away. "Go wash them, Dreemurr," she growled as she walked away.

He remembered, once, when they had just reunited, that Toriel had once gone out of her way to be contrary and aggressive with him, in order to test him to see if he would leave her, to see if he was strong enough to put up with her at her worst. He knew, from that, that the way she reacted towards him now was nowhere near that same degree. Nor was it true anger; her eyes tended to blaze and her voice go soft when she was truly angry.

He stood in the hallway for a moment, holding the towels to him and thinking.

The next day, he purposefully forgot his lunch on his way out to the school; he always left before Toriel and Frisk, as he had to set up the school and make sure the grounds were in order before the students began to arrive. So when, in the middle of mopping up a spill he'd forgotten the previous day, Toriel stalked up to him holding his lunch in her hands, he stopped and watched her closely.

And there it was again - that something.

"Asgore!" she growled, holding up the lunch. "Are you a child?! How can you forget your _lunch?_ "

He took it, then took her wrist and pulled her to him, giving her a kiss on her lips. She froze, staring at him, her eyes wide, and she pulled away, her glower vanishing. He grinned at her slyly - and suddenly she went scarlet.

 _"Fuck,"_ she whispered under her breath, looking away and smiling in embarrassment.

"You _like_ it!" Asgore blurted out, poking her nose as he said it, still grinning. "You _like_ getting irate with me!"

Toriel looked away. "No, I don't!" she answered quickly, tugging on her wrist - though she was still smiling and bright red. "I _hate_ it! When will you grow up, Asgore?!"

Asgore leaned in close and pressed his forehead to hers, and she looked up at him, biting her lip, looking as if she were trying very hard not to laugh. "You like it," he said again. "Just like I do."

"I am going to bite you," she warned.

"Because I'm right and you hate it," he replied cheerfully.

"Yes," she finally admitted, defeated. Her eyes shone, and she leaned in and nipped his nose. "You stupid billygoat."

"But _your_ stupid billygoat," he teased, finally letting go of her wrist. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and hugged him, biting his shoulder in reply.

"Ass," she replied, pulling away and kissing his nose on the same place she'd nipped him, before she stormed away without looking back - though she was grinning, her face still red.

Asgore laughed, so hard he had to hold his sides. When Frisk walked past him, she stopped, then sighed. "Papi, are you torturing Mami again?" she wondered.

"Nope," he replied truthfully, grinning at her. "Not even close."

"Gross," was Frisk's conclusion, storming away in a similar manner as her mother - which only had Asgore laughing even more.

Despite the ruse being exposed on both sides, that didn't stop either of them from continuously making each other crazy. If anything, it only increased the ruse into higher limits. Both enjoyed it immensely, though Frisk never could understand it - no matter how hard she tried.


	25. Hero

When five years had passed since the barrier was shattered, and the day was marked, Frisk received the Order of her country, one of the highest medals of honour that anyone could possibly get. Everyone, all of her monster friends, were invited to see her receive it, and the entire time, she was beaming at them. She did spare a kind look for the elderly King who gave her the medal and smiled, bowing to him as he did, but then her eyes were right back on her family. 

It was a special occasion, as she was the only one who received the Order that day, which was actually unusual, but considering her age and the amount that she had done in such a short period of time, she had certainly earned her own ceremony.

The night before, she had been incredibly nervous about it, pacing in her room and fussing over what exactly she should wear and if she should say anything - pretty much everything she was worried about spilled from her mouth in nervous babbling.

Finally, Toriel stopped her in mid-pace and startled her into silence, her eyes wide and shocked, but at least focusing on her mother.

"Frisk, my child," Toriel said gently, reaching up and brushing the hair from her face softly. Frisk smiled up at her. "Calm down. You're going to do just fine, no matter what you do. Understand?"

"But--," Frisk started, her smile falling and her eyes getting nervous again. "But what if I mess it up? What if I say something stupid to the King? What if I--?"

Asgore, who was sitting on the bed and covered in discarded outfits, spoke up at this point. "You speak to a former king all the time, dear," he said with a smile. "I don't think that will be a problem."

"That's different, Papi!" Frisk protested, but Toriel cupped her face into her hands and she went quiet, looking back up at Toriel. "Not really, my dear. Kings are people. Just remember that."

And it seemed that she had. She treated the King with gentle respect and kindness, but also with a smile. The moment the medal was around her neck, she went pink and touched it lightly, as if barely believing that she was wearing it. 

Once the King stepped back, both Undyne, Mettaton and Papyrus stood up and started cheering loudly, which in turn had even Alphys standing up and joining in, though she was bright red when she did. This brought laughs, but that didn't stop Asgore and Toriel from standing up and doing the same - loudly - and giving even Undyne a run for her money (sans, however, sat politely in his seat, though he did clap). Frisk blushed, but she also looked incredibly delighted. Most of the other politicians around her - especially the King and the Prime Minister - had no idea how to react to this, save smiling awkwardly and clapping, which in turn had everyone else clapping, but nothing drowned out her friends' and family's cheers.

After, once all of the formalities were done with and they could all finally go home, New New Home was filled with celebratory joy and happiness. 

The moment they could, Undyne and Alphys grabbed Frisk into a hug and didn't let go, hugging her so tight she wheezed, but laughed. "We're so proud of you!" Undyne cried gleefully. "It's about fucking time those stupid humans recognised you for the awesome hero you are!"

Frisk blushed. "I wouldn't go that far," she said softly. "I wouldn't say that!"

"Frisk, of course you are!" Alphys insisted. "In five years, you've done so much for both humans and monsters, and at such a young age, too! That's something to celebrate!"

"But, a hero?" Frisk frowned, despite still being sandwiched by the two of them. "I wouldn't go that far is all."

"BUT YOU ARE, FRISK!" Papyrus protested. "YOU BROKE THE BARRIER! YOU BROUGHT HUMANS AND MONSTERS TOGETHER! THAT'S CERTAINLY HEROIC, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU WERE ONLY TEN WHEN YOU DID IT!"

Frisk looked away, and at that, Undyne and Alphys let go gently, sensing the change in her mood and looking worried by it. 

"Frisk?" Asgore said, moving to her side and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"I just... didn't do it alone, is all," she said softly. "Without all of you, I wouldn't have done it at all. Saying I did it by myself... it makes me angry."

sans glanced over, then walked over to her and said, very calmly, "you're right, frisk." She looked at him, and he looked back, nodding. "without us, it wouldn't of happened at all. you either would have died, or would have just left."

"sans--," Toriel said sternly, but Frisk was still nodding. 

"Exactly," she said, finally smiling again. "This thing..." She held up the medal. "It's as much all of yours as it is mine. I'm happy that the country wants to recognise what happened, but just me? I don't like that." Her gaze met everyone's, one at a time, and each time, the face she met softened. "It's ours. You're my family. We share this. It's _our_ Order. Got it?"

The last part was said rather sternly, which made them laugh. She then looked at sans gratefully, who smiled and patted her shoulder gently before taking a big bite of a pizza crust - a plain pizza crust, at that. 

After that, the evening was spent in pure celebration. Mettaton of course brought out the karaoke machine, while sans spiked the punch when Toriel wasn't looking (Frisk noticed and decided to stick to water after that). As a result, there was a slew of slurring singing, but that didn't make it any less fun. 

It truly was a milestone in the shared history of their peoples, one that none of them would ever forget, regardless of the amount of alcohol consumed. In insisting that the Order was for all of them, Frisk showed a maturity that went beyond their greatest expectations, and made them even more proud - and made her seem even more the hero that she already was.


	26. Magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are, the start of the final prompts. This also introduces into this collection my personal headcanon of how monsters reproduce, which I've used in past fics, so many of you may already know. But if you don't, now you'll understand why all of the sex before didn't result in a million little goat babies :P. I'm kinda sad this collection is almost over, but I've thought long and hard about it, and I don't see myself able to continue it with the way I plan to end it at 30. Maybe some day I can continue this, or start a new one with different ideas or even AUs, but for now, 30 is the limit, and this is the beginning of the end. I hope I make it fun and happy enough to make it enough :).

Shortly after she received the Order, Frisk turned sixteen. It felt rather like it just appeared out of nowhere, and neither Asgore nor Toriel were prepared for it. But, the morning they woke up to it, they turned to each other, still in the early hours of the morning, and looked at each other, both wearing a similar expression of seriousness. Silently, Asgore touched Toriel's cheek, and she smiled faintly.

"We should tell her," Toriel said softly, leaning into his hand, always delighting him with that reaction. "We should tell her first thing what we planned. It would be so much better than anything else we've planned for her birthday."

Asgore nodded. "Especially since she thinks it was originally planned for after her eighteenth. Do...?" He hesitated, looking away briefly. "Do you think she will still be happy? Do you think she'll still want it to happen?"

Toriel was the one who nodded, even before he finished. "Absolutely," she agreed. She reached up and covered his hand with hers, squeezing gently. "I don't think she'd changed her mind, after all of this time, truly."

"I... I'm afraid that she has," Asgore admitted, leaning close and pressing his forehead to hers, closing his eyes. "And yet I truly can't stop my heart from racing at the mere thought of it."

Toriel grinned teasingly. "The act, or the result?" He opened his eyes and saw her expression, then made a face at her, and she laughed. "Come on, get up with me, and we can make breakfast while she sleeps in." It was the weekend, luckily, which made this possible. He smiled, and together, they got up and did just that.

Frisk woke up to the smell of her favourite breakfast, and she grinned, scrambling out of bed and rushing to the kitchen, where already her parents were waiting - complete with candles set up in a small slice of pie already lit. She laughed so hard she grabbed the chair to keep on her feet, and her parents joined in, her laughter contagious.

They ate breakfast together happily, for once just a family enjoying a birthday, and not politicians or anything else. It was their day off, and they were going to make the most of it - especially Frisk.

"So," Frisk said between mouthfuls. "Undyne and Alphys are going to kidnap me at noon. Do you mind?"

"What for?" Toriel blinked in surprise. It sounded rather ominous.

Frisk rolled her eyes. "They want to, and I quote, 'spoil me.' When I asked them what they meant, Alphys almost told me, but Undyne shut her up. Maybe I can get her to blurt it out before it happens." She took another mouthful before she went on, her eyes darkening. "I think it has something to do with Mettaton, though."

Toriel snorted out a laugh, and Frisk sighed. "There's nothing wrong with spending time with Mettaton," Asgore said, looking confused.

"Yeah, Papi, but spending a day with Mettaton is always an _event!_ He makes them into them just by existing!'

"Well, my girl, you did rather start it by being the reason for his grand debut," Toriel teased.

"Please don't remind me," Frisk groaned.

"Ah, but how can I resist?" Toriel went on, her eyes shining. "I do hope you have several poses ready, just in case."

Asgore coughed, trying to cover up a laugh, and Frisk shot them both withering looks. "I just hope I'm wrong," she admitted. "I wouldn't mind spending time with just Alphys and Undyne. They're really cool on their own."

"This is true," Toriel agreed seriously, though she still smiled. "But I'm sure that their intentions are good, Frisk."

"Mm," Frisk sighed. "Either way, I'm sure it'll be at least amusing." She smiled.

Asgore shot Toriel a look, who nodded slowly with a gentle smile. "Frisk, we have something to tell you," he admitted.

"Is it about the party you're pretending is a surprise?" Frisk wondered, her eyes sparking.

Both Asgore and Toriel glowered at her. Of course she'd figured that out, but at least she could have pretended she hadn't. "No," Toriel snapped, "but perhaps the surprise is a lack of one."

"Oh? You'd do that?" Frisk tilted her head a little, raising an eyebrow.

"You are already so spoilt," was Toriel's response, which had Frisk laughing; of course the party would go on as planned.

"So if it's not the not-party," Frisk wondered, "what is it?"

Asgore suddenly looked nervous, and he looked to Toriel for help. She grabbed his hand and held it tight, and Frisk suddenly sat up, looking serious. She met first Asgore's gaze, then Toriel's, looking worried, now.

"Is... is everything okay?" she asked softly, setting her fork down.

Toriel smiled. "Yes. Frisk, your father and I have been talking for a while, now, and do you remember, a few years ago, asking us a very important question?"

Frisk thought for a moment, looking confused, before her eyes cleared and she jolted. She looked up at her. "Mami...?" she said slowly, her voice shaky. "Are you...?" She looked at Asgore.

Asgore smiled at her. "You're so smart, Frisk," he sighed. "But no. Not yet."

"But we wanted to tell you," Toriel said gently, reaching out with her other hand to touch Frisk's, which was shaking. "We're going to start to try for a child."

Frisk stared at her, her eyes filling with tears. "Really? This isn't a joke?"

Asgore shook his head emphatically. "Of course not, Frisk!" he said, a little loudly. "We would never play such a trick on you!"

"We wanted to tell you on your birthday, so you knew... so you would be... happy." Toriel looked nervous all of a sudden. "Does it... are you...? We know it's sooner than we planned, but--,"

Frisk jumped up out of her seat and collided into her, hugging onto her tight, before her arm reached out and grabbed Asgore's shoulder, tugging for him to join in on the hug, which he did. Frisk then burst into tears. "Oh god, oh god, oh god," she blurted out. "You're serious. You're serious? You're serious! Mami! Papi!" She started laughing, then, at the same time as her crying.

Toriel smiled and looked over at Asgore, who was already looking at her with a similar smile. They held their daughter tight as she both laugh and cried, then blurted out, "This is the best present you could ever give me!" in a broken, choked voice. Toriel kissed her head, and Asgore rubbed her back gently, and they both felt relieved - and Frisk was elated.

* * *

The moment Frisk opened the door, Undyne grabbed her into a hug and lifted her off of the ground with a shout of, _"Happy birthday, punk!"_ Alphys then reached up (Frisk was now taller than her) and latched onto Frisk's other side with a hug of her own, which had Frisk laughing so hard tears came to her eyes. "Happy birthday, Frisk!" Alphys added cheerfully.

When she was released, Frisk peered over their shoulders behind them to check for any sign of Mettaton - of which there was none. Undyne noticed and shot a smirk to Asgore, who winked; Mettaton was planned to show up, yes, but at night and for the party.

"Frisk," Alphys said, taking one of her hands and still grinning. "We plan on taking you out to lunch, then a movie, then whatever else you want!"

"What if I want none of those things?" Frisk teased. Alphys's face fell a little, and she added, "I'm kidding, I'm just kidding! Of course I'd love to!"

Undyne shot Toriel a look this time, who blinked. Undyne raised an eyebrow, then made a hand-gesture at her behind Frisk's back, one Toriel knew but had no idea Undyne did, and she went scarlet and glowered at her, which had Undyne laughing, hard. Asgore had also noticed, and he gave his former student and Captain a withering look.

Frisk turned around, clearly realising she'd missed something, especially when Undyne put her hands behind her back and made herself look innocent, and Alphys went red and smiled awkwardly. "Sh-shall we g-get going? Bus leaves in fifteen minutes!" Alphys added, pointing to her watch.

"Hell, yeah, let's go!" Undyne grinned, grabbing Frisk's arm and dragging her out of the door. She looked at her parents one last time, as if hoping they'd maybe rescue her, but when they both grinned, she sighed and resigned herself to her fate.

"U-uhm," Alphys added on her way out, her voice soft, "g-good l-luck!"

When the door closed, a small silence passed between them. Then, Toriel said, "You told them?"

"Yes," Asgore said cheerfully. "Why else would they take Frisk out for so long today?"

"Asgore..." Toriel sighed. "You were so certain you'd get lucky today?"

He turned to her and slid his arms around her waist, nuzzling her nose gently. "Am I not?"

Toriel rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, one hand tangling into his hair. "Are you sure about this, Asgore?" she replied. He looked at her closely, and saw deep within her eyes a faint sheen of worry. After all of this time, she was still worried that he wasn't sincere?

"Yes," he said gently, smiling at her. "No one will replace Asriel, Tori." She closed her eyes at that, biting her lip, but he continued. "But that's not what we're trying to do, are we?"

"Of course not, Gorey," she agreed, her voice wavering. "This is for a new start, on the surface, together."

He nodded in agreement, pressing his forehead to hers, closing his eyes. He pulled her closer, burying his face into her neck, and she clung onto him, her own eyes closing as a sigh escaped her. "Gorey," she whispered.

"Yes, Tori?" he replied, his voice just as soft.

"Let's get you lucky," she replied with a grin, and he laughed.

* * *

 They went to their bedroom, kissing closely as they went and taking their clothes off there, rather than leaving a trail, just in case Frisk came back and caught them unawares. Their hearts were racing by the time they were both naked, both excited and nervous as if it were their first time and they were still teenagers. By the time they were sitting on the bed, Toriel noticed that Asgore was shaking a little, and she held him to her, concerned.

"Gorey," she murmured gently, stroking his hair slowly as he clung to her, kissing down along her neck closely. "It's going to be fine." He nodded, his hands slowly trailing over her sides and down along her thighs, and she held onto him tight and sighed deeply, her eyes closing and her head tilting back.

Soon, she lay on her back, and he followed, pressing close, and she could feel already how hard he was, just as she was already so slick. Both were breathing quickly, still, but they smiled. Carefully, Toriel closed her eyes and mentally called on her power, just as Asgore did the same, and once their hands shimmered with their magic, they laced their fingers together, the colours blending together and glittering beautifully. For a moment, they stared, spellbound. It had been so long - so very long - since they had seen that specific colour, and suddenly the gravity of what they were doing hit them both hard. Toriel stared up at Asgore, who was already staring at her, and they both realised they were close to tears. Silently, they kissed, deeply, Asgore pinning Toriel's hands to the bed, before he shifted his hips and pushed himself into her.

They both shared a moan at that, barely muffled by their kiss; this was something else they'd only just barely remembered. Reproductive magic took a degree of soul, and therefore when it was used, it was felt not just locally, but throughout the entire body. That mere thrust hit both of them, despite it being gentle, and they shut their eyes, both staying still for a moment just to relish in the feeling, that deep, steady pleasure thrumming through them both.

Then, slowly, their eyes opened and met, and Toriel pulled from the kiss to whisper, breathlessly, "Please, Gorey." He searched her gaze closely, seeing nothing but love for him, something she could see returned in his eyes, and he nodded, leaning down to kiss her again, harder, as he started to move again.

Once more, they made a shared sound, but Asgore didn't stop. He kept his thrusts slow, and Toriel felt everything, every single thing, course through her body. She flashed hot, since both of them were fire users, but it was the kind of hot that set her body blazing in a good way, one that made her crave more and more. She shifted back against him, hooking her legs around his waist tight, her hands gripping onto his tighter. Asgore's groan was muffled, his eyes squeezing shut; he, too, felt that same kind of heat coursing through him, as if his blood were on fire, each thrust he made into Toriel increasing it into something painfully sweet and almost unbearably pleasurable. He pulled from the kiss to bury his face into her chest, and she arched back, her head tilting back as she cried out, more than once.

Their bodies remembered this, even after so long, and it was amazing how easy it was, yet how intense, too. The first time, they had only had to try a few times before Toriel realised she was pregnant, and she wondered now if they would have that same issue - or if once would do it. Feeling the way she did now, her breaths now catching in her throat the closer she got, her knees shaking and her heels digging into Asgore's back, she suddenly hoped not. She wanted more of this. She wanted more of _him._

Asgore clung to her, listening to her heart racing, hearing her cries deep within her chest and knowing that he was likely crying out just as much, but he was unable to even consider trying to hold them back, now. His hands were shaking, now, too, clinging onto Toriel's and never once letting go, the same as hers. It was so intense, so encompassing, that he wondered just how much longer he could hold out; he knew he had to, but it was getting more and more difficult, especially when he listened to Toriel's cries and felt her body around him.

"Gorey," she growled out suddenly, startling him. Her voice cracked, and he raised his head slowly, gasping. She pressed her forehead to his,  her eyes shut tight and her teeth clenched. "I... I'm _really_ close... I... don't know how long I can..." She cried out again, unable to finish the sentence.

"Yes," he begged, starting to thrust faster, and her nails dug into the back of his hands, a low moan pulled from her throat, but she kept her forehead to his, and he didn't move away. Slowly, her eyes opened halfway, as did his, and they stared at each other, breathless and crying out, but suddenly realising that they were both so close - and that it looked as if it would be one of those rare moments in which they would come together.

"Gorey..." She growled out his name again, drawing it out long, her eyes glazing over but not closing, and her body flashed hot again, her muscles clenching around him hard and tight. Asgore gasped, feeling it and suddenly starting to lose control because of it. "Tori," he pleaded, and she nodded, her teeth bared. _"Yes,"_ she hissed out, still staring at him, unable to look away - same as he. Then she cried out, that sound he knew so well, and he felt her starting to come, and suddenly he couldn't hold back, either. They kissed, hard, their cries swallowed up by that kiss, and they both came together, just seconds apart, their eyes closing at the same time and their hearts beating together. Both focused on that feeling, could feel nothing else, and they reached out with both body and soul, merging them both together and allowing the feeling to take them over - their senses, their bodies, and their souls.

For a long, sweet moment, it was all they both felt, as if they weren't even there, anymore, not even physical beings anymore, but simply beings made of that pleasure and magic. It was like blacking out from it, but feeling so much more, and neither knew if they were even breathing, but they didn't care - not for a second.

When, suddenly, they seemed to come back to themselves, they were breathless and limp, still holding hands tight. By then, the magic they had shared had faded away, but they didn't let go, even though they could. Asgore relaxed against Toriel, burying his face in her chest, and Toriel lay back, her body limp beneath him. Both were gasping for breath, covered in sweat and barely able to move, but that was okay. At the moment, they didn't need to move. They didn't even want to. All either one of them wanted to do was stay as they were, together, and feel everything they felt without letting the other go.

After what felt like ages, Toriel whispered, "Gorey...? Are... you alright?"

He raised his head tiredly, and she looked at him with sleepy eyes, though she smiled at him. He nodded, smiling back and reaching up to touch her cheek gently. She leaned into it, wrapping her arms around his neck gently, though they shook a bit.

"Sleep?" he wondered, resting his head on her shoulder, now, moving himself closer and in a more comfortable position, something she did as well, as she nodded in agreement. Both felt so tired, now, having used up so much energy, but they also felt incredible at the same time.

In mere minutes, both were sleeping, and heavily, still intimately entwined and refusing to let go of the other. They dreamt of each other, of future hopes, and of past joys.

* * *

Hours later, it was Toriel who woke up first, groggily, feeling shaky and starving. Gently, she shook Asgore awake, who immediately started and clung onto her, his eyes wide and caught in sleep, still, before they focused on her and he calmed down. He stared at her for a moment, as though surprised to even see her there, before he leaned down and kissed her so deeply it took her breath away, and this time she was the one who was clinging to him.

When he pulled away, he whispered, "I thought it was just a dream."

She smiled at him gently. "Silly billygoat," she replied, kissing his nose. "Of course not."

"Tori," he added, his face suddenly getting a silly look to it. "I'm _starving."_

Toriel laughed in relief. "Me, too," she admitted. "Get off of me, and let's get some pie, shall we?"

"But what will you eat?" he wondered, sliding off of her with a sly grin, and she poked his nose sharply in reply, though she still smiled.

* * *

By the time Frisk, Undyne and Alphys came back, the entire house was set up exactly the way Mettaton wanted it to be - Mettaton, and not Asgore or Toriel. No, they had been banished to the couch as he and his "cutie-cronies" set up a complex karaoke set and speaker system, as well as a long table full of Frisk's favourite foods (sadly, much of them were ordered in, which annoyed Toriel to no end, but she still managed to make several of her own additions to the table. Ironically, it would be her food that got eaten up first, while the left-overs would be the orders.).

"This was your idea," Asgore said idly during the set up, as they sat together on the couch of banishment.

Toriel went red. "I... I knew I'd be too tired to do this on my own, and I was right," she admitted. "But whose fault is also that?"

Asgore grinned at her in such a way that she felt a stab of heat hit her, and she went scarlet and looked away, but she was also grinning by then, in a similar way. Luckily, nobody noticed it but him.

Papyrus and sans arrived and were also banished, especially when Papyrus tried to pile the food table full of spaghetti. sans sat beside Asgore, and Papyrus sat beside sans, looking rather disheartened. The four watched Mettaton order his employees around for a while, until finally Frisk arrived.

She walked in and lit right up, seeing the entire house transformed into something fun but also still intimate and just for them, alone. Alphys noticed Mettaton's couch of banishment and went to him immediately, hissing at him under her breath in a chiding tone, one he waved away idly and with a smile. That is, until Undyne came to her wife's side and added her own chiding, and he made a face and sighed, then signalled for everyone to stop - only then realising that Frisk was back, too.

This began a round of Frisk-hugging, something she complained about as well as laughed from, clearly enjoying it. When she was in the middle of a particularly bony hug from both Papyrus and sans, Undyne sidled over to Asgore and leaned close, whispering, "Enough time?"

He blushed, but smiled shyly, saying nothing, and she grinned, clapping a hand to his back and laughing. Toriel also blushed, especially when Undyne did the same to her, but once she walked away, they took hands and held on tight, sharing a secret smile.

All in all, it was a wonderful night for Frisk, who was both delighted and embarrassed by the amount of celebration thrown at her. She looked so happy, practically beaming, and for once she was actually just a sixteen-year-old girl enjoying her birthday, and not an ambassador working on the next diplomatic act she needed to pass. It was rare to see just the one side of her, but that made it all the more sweet, and both Asgore and Toriel found themselves in tears more than once that night, even during karaoke.

Then, late into the night, when everyone had gone and Frisk was sleepily gathering her gifts together to bring into her room, she looked up at her parents and smiled at them, so warmly and happily that their hearts both stuttered a little. She disappeared into her room for a moment, then came back out and threw herself at them, hugging onto them tight.

"Mami," she whispered, "Papi, thank you so much. This was an amazing day, full of wonderful people and surprises. I'm so happy I'm your daughter."

Asgore choked up immediately, hugging her close, so Toriel replied, "And we're so proud of you, Frisk. We're so lucky you're our daughter."

"I know your baby is going to be as happy as me," Frisk added, surprising them both, and bringing tears to Toriel's eyes, now, too. "Happier, even, if that's even possible. You're both such amazing, wonderful parents."

"Frisk..." Asgore murmured brokenly. "Th-thank you. Thank you, so much."

"I can't wait to be a big sister," Frisk admitted, looking up at them with tears of her own, though her smile was huge. "Tell me the moment you know, won't you?"

"Of course!" Toriel smiled, touching her cheek gently and brushing her tears away.

"I'm gonna go to bed, now. I'm beat. I just... needed you both to know that." Frisk hugged them again tight, before letting go and going back to her room with a yawn, closing the door behind her.

Silently, Asgore hugged onto Toriel, who held him tight. They both cried together for a moment, trying to be as quiet as possible. They were both so touched by Frisk's kind, genuine words, so happy that she was excited, as excited as them. It was the final affirmation they had needed to finally feel secure in their decision.

Which was, in the end, a very good thing, indeed. 


	27. Success

Asgore had not forgotten this part, either. He wished he had, if it meant it didn't happen, less for himself and more for Toriel, but the fact remained: he had not, and here it was. He had hoped, since so much time had passed, that perhaps things would be different - easier, maybe - but, if his memory served him correctly, it appeared, this time, to be _worse._

"Shit, shit, _shit,"_ Toriel sobbed out between breaths, shaking. She leaned back and covered her mouth, her eyes closed tight, tears running down her cheeks. Asgore was kneeling beside her, keeping her ears gently from her face, his other hand rubbing her back slowly. He said nothing, instead giving her a very soft kiss on her cheek. 

"Ah, shit," she whispered, her voice choking at the end before she leaned forward once more and threw up again - this time only bile, but it burned and was sour, and she shuddered. _"Fuck!"_ she snarled at the end, her other hand on his thigh, her nails digging in hard. She cowered there for a moment, gasping for breath, holding her hand now to her chest as she did, and carefully Asgore stroked her hair, feeling how sweaty it was.

There was a soft knock at the door, but it didn't open. They heard Frisk say, softly, "Mami? Are you okay?"

Toriel gritted her teeth, before hunching over and dry-heaving in response, and Asgore called back, "Just a second, Frisk, alright?" He tried to sound calm, but he heard a waver in his words, and sighed. 

It was in the middle of the night, on a weekday, a little over a month after Frisk's birthday. Toriel had woken up with bad cramps and nausea, and then suddenly realised that she had to vomit - and badly. She ended up throwing up everything: her supper, her tea, even some of her lunch, and was still heaving, despite not even having water in between - and she desperately wanted water, too. 

The moment Toriel had woken up and said she needed to throw up, Asgore knew. He knew, and had followed her without question, his hands shaking in excitement, despite the situation. Toriel, however, was angry, and she kept muttering, whenever she could, "What was it that I ate? Neither of you are sick. What did I have that neither of you had? Do I have the flu?" Asgore was amazed by this; Toriel was either in denial, or was too tired and feeling too sick to put it all together, yet. Either way, he kept quiet, not wanting to embarrass her - not while she was like this.

"Fuck," Toriel whispered again, trembling hard, and Asgore pulled her close and rubbed her back slowly. He was certain, now, that she was done, and Toriel was so exhausted by now that she leaned on him heavily, not even able to hug him back. She shut her eyes and focused on him stroking her hair, trying to calm her breathing, feeling terrible and hating it, still unable to figure out what she had eaten. "Asgore," she murmured, her voice hoarse. "Water? Please?"

"Frisk?" he called, not wanting to move Toriel just yet. "Can you grab a glass of water for me, please?"

There was the sound of quick footsteps leaving, a pause, then careful footsteps coming back, before the door opened slowly and she walked in, holding a huge glass of water and looking very worried. She paled the moment her eyes fell on Toriel, who opened slightly faded eyes and reached up weakly for the water. Asgore took hold of it and helped her drink it slowly, and she closed her eyes in relief, the feel of it so soothing on her raw throat. Asgore pulled away when she only had a third of it, though she protested a little. "Give it time," he said gently. "Let yourself settle, Tori dear." She nodded, leaning back against him and keeping her eyes closed.

"Papi?" Frisk asked softly, her hands at her chest, her face full of fear. "What's wrong with Mami?"

"Food... food poisoning," Toriel replied weakly. "Don't know from what, yet, though."

Asgore sighed, giving Toriel a gentle kiss on the top of her hot head, before he whispered, "It's not food poisoning, Toriel."

Since he so rarely used her full name, he had her full attention immediately, and her eyes opened. Slowly, she looked up at him, and he looked back at her sombrely, though there was a light in his eyes that she hadn't seen in decades. 

"No," she whispered, her stomach fluttering, but this time not with nausea. "We only did it once."

"That's all it takes, my dear," he replied gently, touching her sweaty cheek lightly. 

"No," she repeated, her eyes now wide, but focusing inward, losing that haze of sick and sleepiness. She stared at her husband as though spellbound. "No!" Despite saying it, she looked rather like she wanted to say 'yes' instead.

Frisk looked at Asgore as well, confused as well as scared, now. "Papi?" she repeated. "What's going on?"

Toriel suddenly laughed, covering her mouth. "No! No, you're lying to me, Dreemurr!" she accused him, smacking his shoulder weakly, but she was still laughing, the laughs soon coupled with sobs. Her eyes filled with tears, and she clung to him, hard, so hard that he started laughing, too, holding her close and feeling his own eyes fill with tears.

Frisk, now, looked irritated. She felt as if she were being teased, though it wasn't funny at all. "Mami, Papi, tell me what's going on or I'm going to scream," she warned, serious. 

Toriel was now too choked up to speak, sobbing into Asgore's shoulder. She couldn't help it. Once the reality of what was happening hit her fully, she couldn't believe how lucky she was, and how happy it made her feel. She suddenly realised she would take a whole week of throwing up for hours on end if it meant the same end result. She was so happy her face hurt from smiling so much. 

Asgore thus was the one to say it. "Your mother is pregnant, Frisk."

Frisk stared at him, then ran over and crashed into them both, burying her face into her mother's back and bursting into tears of her own. "Mami!" she cried. "Mami, I can't believe it!"

Asgore placed a hand on Frisk's head gently, stroking her hair this time. For a moment, they knelt there, in probably one of the strangest places to celebrate a new pregnancy, and at such a ridiculous time of night, too. 

Then, suddenly, Toriel snapped back to herself and thought these exact thoughts, heat flashing to her cheeks in sudden embarrassment. "Shit!" she cried without thinking. "Get out, both of you! I need to clean up! Asgore, take Frisk to the kitchen and make her some warm milk. Now!" She pulled away and pushed at them both, not realising that she was still grinning with tears running down her red face.

Frisk opened her mouth to protest, but Asgore shook his head with a smile and stood up, helping Frisk to her feet and leading her out of the washroom to do exactly what Toriel commanded. 

Once alone, Toriel knelt there, her hands clenched to her chest, feeling as if she were so much younger, as if she were suddenly in her twenties again, her actual twenties, and just learning that she was pregnant with Asriel. Her heart both raced and ached with that thought, and one hand trailed down to her abdomen, touching there lightly. As she was a monster, and as her kind were only pregnant for five months, there was already a noticeable firmness that she could feel, and she felt like such a kid for not even noticing sooner. Her other hand went over her mouth, shaking, and her eyes closed. 

Pregnant. She really was pregnant. It was real, it had happened, and she was going to have a baby, again. And though she did indeed feel a small wave of sadness over the loss of Asriel, there was a larger wave of excitement, of pure joy, of longing and hope that rushed over her harder, and she let it. 

For a moment, she knelt there, overcome by these feelings, before she slowly got back to her feet shakily, still feeling rather weak. She flushed the toilet and rinsed out her mouth, then drank the rest of the water slowly and carefully. She then looked at herself in the mirror above the sink, staring into her own eyes. She looked tired and still a little sick, but she also looked... elated.

She laughed suddenly, the sound one of pure joy, before she carefully walked out of the washroom with unsteady steps, holding a hand to the wall for balance. When she met Frisk and Asgore in the kitchen, they beamed at her, looking almost as thrilled as she felt. Asgore had made Frisk the milk, as well as chamomile tea for all three of them, and gratefully she sat down with them, still shaking. She held the mug in her hands, still grinning. 

"Frisk," she said, before anyone else could say anything, "I want you to name your sibling."

Frisk and Asgore stared at her, Frisk immediately starting to cry again. "Really?" she murmured. When Toriel and Asgore both nodded together, she covered her face and laughed. "Th-thank you. I... I'm so... thank you..."

"Drink your milk," Toriel added at once, making Frisk laugh again tearfully. Both she and Asgore placed a hand on one of Frisk's shoulders, and she smiled at them, taking a long gulp of milk to please them both. 

"May I suggest," Asgore said, "perhaps using parts of my name and your mother's--?"

"Asgore," Toriel sighed, giving him a withering look. "Let her decide on her own. She has four more months to do so."

Frisk's head shot up. "Wait, what?" she spluttered out. "That's... short!"

Gently, Toriel explained to her the reason why, and Frisk stared at her, looking both shocked and overjoyed. Toriel admired her, at that moment; Frisk was truly the type of person who could adapt to pretty much anything. Toriel was well aware that humans carried their young for twice the amount, so Frisk's shock was understandable. And yet now Frisk looked overjoyed by the prospect. She never ceased to amaze Toriel. 

Asgore was thinking of something else. His mind was all over the place, both on Toriel and Frisk. His hands were shaking in his joy, but he masked it by holding his mug tightly; he didn't want Toriel to see his reaction just yet, noticing that she was also shaking without even realising it. He didn't want her to fuss over him as he knew she would, instead wanting her to focus that energy on herself. He found himself so happy that Frisk was their daughter, so relieved that Frisk was taking the news not only so well, but with such happiness. He had clearly underestimated just how badly she had wanted a sibling, and he felt guilty for having done so. 

"What do you say?" Toriel was saying, now. "Shall we stay home for a day, give ourselves a little holiday to celebrate?"

Frisk nodded, and Asgore had to laugh. "You make the rules, Tori!" he reminded her. "We'd only answer to you!"

"Yes, which is why I'm actually _telling_ you," she replied cheerfully, which made them laugh. 

Regardless of the drinks, they ended up staying awake for the rest of the night, Toriel only once having to rush back to the washroom. They spent the entire time talking, teaching Frisk about monster pregnancy, what she would likely see over the next few months, as well as how she could help Toriel along the way. Asgore then tried to offer ways to think up names, which had both Frisk and Toriel laughing (though he was being serious). 

When they noticed the sun coming up, they realised that it was probably a good idea to try and get some sleep, after all. Frisk hugged them both, Asgore tightly, but Toriel rather carefully, as if she were made of eggshells. Toriel teased her about it, but she didn't relent, so she left it alone. 

Arm-in-arm, Toriel and Asgore returned to their bedroom, soon curling up together in their bed and holding each other close. Toriel felt her exhaustion catch up on her almost as soon as she lay down in Asgore's arms. He could tell, and he pulled her close and kissed her gently, resting his head on hers, one arm around her shoulders, his other hand gently resting over her abdomen, unable to help himself. 

Softly, Toriel muttered, "I can't believe I thought it was food poisoning."

Asgore snorted a laugh, and she laughed softly, too, curling up closer into his embrace and relaxing. 

"Gorey," Toriel whispered suddenly, when they were both almost asleep. "I'm excited. Are you?"

"Yes," he whispered back. "Every time I realise it, I want to just... do something ridiculous."

"Gorey?" 

"Yes?"

"When we get up later, do something ridiculous for me."

He laughed softly, kissed her again, and she grinned. Shortly after, they fell asleep. 

(It should be added that, indeed, when they woke up later that day, Asgore kept true to his word, and whenever he was struck by the urge, he did something ridiculous. Every time. It was wonderful.)


	28. Hiccups

Every once and a while, Toriel would giggle randomly and out of nowhere, at any given time. At first, it confused both Asgore and Frisk, but eventually, once they realised they would get a variation of the same answer every time, they stopped asking.

A few examples were as follows.

It was only just morning, and Toriel's giggles woke Asgore up. He turned to her and found her grinning and her face bright. Blinking, he asked, "What's so funny?"

"Gorey," she answered, her voice wavering. "What do you think my favourite live sports shows would be?"

Asgore blinked at her, thoroughly confused, now. "I... don't know?"

"Mom-ster truck rallies!" she replied, before dissolving into more giggles. 

Asgore smiled and gave her a gentle kiss on her nose. "Yes," he agreed, happy to see her so excited.

"Uh, Ma," Frisk said, hearing Toriel snicker over a pot as she was adding ingredients to it. "Did the vegetables say something funny to you?"

Toriel turned around, beaming. "Frisk!" she replied cheerfully. "What kind of vegetables do I like?"

"Uh..." Frisk hesitated. "Fresh...?"

"Genetically Mom-ified!" Toriel sang out happily, waving a few stalks of celery to emphasise this.

Frisk didn't know what to say to that.

These went on for quite some time, until finally, Frisk said, as gently as possible, "Mami, you know who'd really love these, even more that Papi and I? sans. sans would _love_ these!"

Toriel, instead of getting offended, was actually delighted by the idea. "That's right!" she agreed, grabbing her phone. She was immediately glued to it for a while, sending as many puns as she could think of, exchanging them with sans. Eventually, sans would even send some of his own, which meant that Frisk and Asgore rarely had to hear them. They adored Toriel, no question, but there were only so many times one could hear Mom-puns and not get an eye-twitch from them (unless you were sans, apparently).

Another thing that was actually rather nice was that Toriel would sing more. She used to only sing at home or whenever they had karaoke night, but now, she also sang in class and during breaks, sometimes not even realising it until one of her students shyly pointed it out to her. And the best part was that instead of getting flustered, she merely laughed and apologised, only to start again maybe an hour later.

There were some low points, though, that while the good things were bright and nice, the bad things would make those things seem almost dim in comparison. 

"Asgore!" Toriel snapped one evening, storming into the living room with a pan in her hand. "You forgot to pre-rinse this!"

Asgore paused, surprised by the sharpness of her tone. "I-I did? I'm sorry." He started to get up to do so, but she held up her hand.

"No, don't even bother, now, what's the point?" she snarled out. "I'll do it. But for god's sake, can't you remember just once?" She stormed back into the kitchen before he could reply, and he could hear her slamming dishes around soon after.

Then, to his surprise, he heard what sounded like her weeping. He scrambled to his feet and went to the kitchen, finding her hunched over the sink and in tears. He went to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, and she turned around and grabbed onto him tight. "I'm sorry," she blurted out. "I'm sorry I yelled! I... I don't know if I asked you or not. I shouldn't of yelled at you. I'm such an ass. How can you love such an ass?!"

Asgore blinked slowly in shock, rubbing her back gently. "No, no, Tori," he murmured, meaning it. "It's alright. Nothing's wrong, you're not an ass, and it's okay. Please, don't cry..."

"I _am_ an ass!" she insisted. "I'm going to be a terrible mother, if this is how I treat you!"

"No," he answered, his tone firmer, now. "Enough of that. You're a wonderful mother already, and you're still going to be a terrific one. One little dish problem doesn't erase that."

Toriel clung tighter onto him, sniffling. "Are you certain?"

"Yes."

She hesitated, then nodded. "O-okay," she agreed softly. "Thank you."

After that, they both rinsed the dishes together. 

As time went on, Toriel also grew bigger, and soon, with some dismay, she realised she soon had to take her leave from the school. She truly didn't want to; she had hoped to spent the entire duration of her pregnancy working, up to the very last minute. But she was already feeling so easily tired and sore that by the end of a regular work day, all she wanted to do was curl up and sleep for days. She knew it meant she needed time off. But she decided to get a professional opinion of sorts, anyway.

"Yes," said Alphys, almost as soon as she was done examining her. "I-in fact, you probably should have done so sooner."

Toriel sighed. She was almost four months along, now, and even the mere examination was taxing on her store of strength. Alphys touched her hand gently in sympathy, offering her a smile, and she returned it faintly. She liked Alphys, despite her past endeavours, and trusted her opinions, especially medically. If she said it was time to rest, it was time to rest.

"But," Alphys added. "You don't need to go so far as bedrest. You're actually doing just fine, really well, that there's no need for it. Just keep the regular precautions in mind, and you'll be fine." Alphys smiled again, this time wider. "And so will your child. Do..." She hesitated shyly. "Do you want to know the gender?"

Toriel stared at her in surprise. Of course Alphys would know, now, she realised. In fact, she likely had known a while ago, but Toriel hadn't even thought of it. Now that she did, she realised that she wanted to know, very much. "Yes," she agreed.

Alphys told her, very gently. Toriel smiled, this time for real, a hand on her chest. She knew she would have adored this child either way, no question, and likely her reaction would be identical regardless, but there was something... unique about this time, something different that struck a chord in her. 

"Will you tell Asgore?" Alphys wondered. 

"I'll ask him," Toriel agreed. "But if he wants to be old-fashioned, I'll let him." 

It turned out, just like last time, he did. "I want it to be a surprise," he declared, just like last time, which made her laugh and hug onto him in her delight. Sometimes, even after all of this time, he was so predictable. "But I'm sure Frisk will want to know."

Frisk blinked; they were at the dinner table at this time, when Toriel brought it up. Frisk suddenly blushed. "Uh, actually, if it's all the same, I don't want to know yet, either," she admitted.

Toriel sighed, now. She hadn't expected that, and now had to sit on this secret for another month. "Oh fine," she grumbled. "At least Alphys knows; I can talk to her about it."

What she'd forgotten was that if Alphys knew something, then Undyne would soon know it, too. So when Undyne suddenly, during her last week at work, came up to her and hugged her, it shocked her into freezing in place. She was not used to seeing this side of Undyne, at all. 

"Alphy told me everything!" Undyne finally admitted cheerfully. "I can't believe it! It's gonna be so awesome! I can't wait!"

"Ah," Toriel said, raising an eyebrow. "You can't tell Asgore or Frisk!"

"I won't," Undyne promised. "I know how to keep secrets, but that doesn't mean I won't tease the hell out of both of them!"

"I suppose I should be satisfied with that," Toriel muttered.

"Yup!" Undyne agreed.

Once Toriel was off work, she very easily became bored. She tried to fill her days by, instead of weekly, shopping for groceries daily for their meals, but even that routine was too short for her liking, and she grew bored with that, too. The first week she spent cleaning the entire house - including Frisk's room, which annoyed her but in the end actually made her kind of happy - but that only managed to last a week.

"Can't the two of you be more disgusting?!" she snapped once over dinner. "I need something to clean!"

"Uhm, but Mami," Frisk murmured, "you raised me to be clean."

"Well, be disgusting."

That something even Asgore couldn't do, though to try and please her he did try. He left the towels on the floor, didn't rinse the shower stall, and didn't pre-rinse dishes, but still she demanded him to be worse, and in the end, he realised that even he was well-conditioned to be clean, too.

She eventually had to ask Alphys if she could do outdoor cleaning, but Alphys absolutely denied her this, which frustrated her even more. She spent a few days cleaning things that were already clean, until Frisk suddenly had an idea, and it solved the problem.

"Mami," she said carefully one evening. She held up Toriel's phone. "I went ahead and downloaded some new games onto your phone. They're a lot of fun, and take place in real time, so you don't have to worry about clearing them right away. Would you like to try?"

Toriel sighed, looking up at her daughter with a wary smile. "I'm driving you and your father crazy, am I?"

"Uhm," Frisk murmured, going red. "Why not try a game now?"

Toriel laughed, unable to keep it in; Frisk would never say anything mean about her or to her, and she was precious for it. She stood up and took the phone from Frisk, then leaned over and gave her daughter a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you, dear," she replied, going to the couch and sitting down. She fully expected to be bored in no time, but she would still try in order to please Frisk.

An hour later, she was still sitting, glued to her phone, the look of concentration on her face akin to the one she wore when planning out lessons. Asgore and Frisk stood watching her for a moment, both wearing the same expression of affectionate relief. "I'll make supper," Asgore offered softly, and Frisk smiled and handed him the yellow pages, so he could order in. He laughed, but took it, and did just that. 

When the doorbell rang, Toriel jumped in her seat and her phone went flying. She then caught it, but stared at the door, startled. "What the hell?!" she cried, especially when Frisk snorted and went to answer it. When Toriel saw it was a delivery person, she scowled, but then checked the time, and her scowl turned to embarrassment. 

The moment they were seated at the table, Toriel said, "I'm very sorry."

"No," both Asgore and Frisk replied at the same time, sharing a grin. She scowled again, but Asgore added, "It's perfectly fine, Tori. We're just happy you finally relaxed."

She sighed, poking at her food for a moment, before she shrugged and started to eat. She was too hungry to ignore food, now, and she had to admit that it had been rather nice not trying to find things to do.

Pretty soon, it became routine; she'd go grocery shopping, clean whatever needed to be cleaned, then sit down and become glued to her phone. She did make dinners after that one night of absorption, but the days seemed far shorter than ever before, and she was glad.

Which meant that the due date rather rushed up on all of them just as quickly.


	29. Greetings

In the middle of the night, Asgore woke up to the sound of a sharp, "Fuck off."

Startled, he blinked his sleepy eyes open and turned around. Toriel was sitting up, but also hunched over, one hand on her head, the other rubbing her belly slowly.

"Tori?" he whispered, sitting up behind her and touching her back gently. She flinched, then shook her head, growling low in her throat. He peered closer to her, and saw that she was clearly in pain, but also furious about it, her teeth bared and her eyes squeezed shut. She didn't answer him.

He moved closer so that he sat next to her, carefully putting a hand over one of hers, the one on her belly. "Are you getting kicked?" he wondered gently. "Or is it sciatic pain? Or both?"

"No, no," Toriel snapped, tugging on her hair impatiently. She'd experienced both over the past week, now that long overdue and annoyed by it. She was assured by both Alphys and their family doctor that it happened, but it still angered her, and she would sometimes wake up from either one.

But not with this kind of fervent reaction - that was for sure.

"Are you okay, Tori?" he asked softly, rubbing her hand.

"No," she repeated, flipping her hand over to grab onto his. She sighed. "Why, Gorey? Why is it always at night?"

Asgore frowned, confused for a moment, before something clicked in his brain, and he jolted, leaning closer to her. "Tori!" he cried, smiling. He remembered, oddly enough; the last time she'd gone into labour was late at night as well.

She looked at him finally with a smirk, her hand lowering from her head. "Yes," she agreed. "Our children have the worst timing, do they not?"

Asgore leapt to his feet and raced to the closet, pulling out the overnight bag, before he went back to her and took her hand. "Let's go," he replied.

She laughed, something relaxing in both her body and her eyes. "Well, let's wake up Frisk, first, give her a chance to get dressed - as well as ourselves, for goodness' sake, Gorey - and then we'll go."

He hesitated, then nodded, still smiling. It was hard to remain frustrated with him looking that way, really.

* * *

 Frisk had woken up cranky at first, then started babbling in a high-pitched voice once they told her why they were waking her up. In a daze, she dashed to the bathroom and showered the fastest they'd ever seen her shower, and was dressed in less than fifteen minutes - a record for her.

Fortunately - or unfortunately, depending on who you were - Toriel's water broke while she was in the shower. Asgore and Frisk heard her swear a blue streak over it, but Asgore assured Frisk that she was fine. When Toriel got out, she looked extremely pissed off, and neither of them wanted to get in her way. From there, it was a quick rinse for Asgore, then a quicker drive to the hospital.

* * *

Alphys met them there - Toriel had texted her the moment she knew for sure - and after that, things went rather well. Frisk and Undyne kept each other distracted in the waiting room while Asgore stayed with Toriel and Alphys.

Toriel wasn't optimistic; Asriel's labour had taken most of the night and went well into the afternoon. As the timing seemed the same, she expected the same of this child, too. Therefore, when Alphys told her rather cheerfully to start only an hour in, she snapped at the doctor that it was too early, bemusing Alphys into repeating herself.

And so it was only fifteen minutes after that that she finally held her new daughter in her arms.

Asgore was hovering over her, his hands out and his fingers wiggling. "A little girl," he whispered, his eyes already wet. Toriel snorted out a laugh, unable to keep it in at that. She was tired and sore as hell, but holding her baby was the best distraction. She was small, covered in downy white fur, her face a lot like hers but her hair absolutely Asgore's - she knew it was going to be long like his. Her eyes were also his, the same colour, too, which she actually rather adored.

"Gorey, sit down," she finally said sharply, tired of his hovering. He did immediately, pulling a chair up to the side of the bed, and she leaned back, smiling at him gently. "Want to hold her?"

"Can I?" he wondered. "She hasn't eaten yet."

"She won't need to until she asks," Toriel smiled. "You'll remember the ways of things again, soon, I'm sure. So, yes?"

He nodded, his eyes wide and his smile wider, and he held his hands out. She handed the baby over to him, and he took careful hold of her; she was so small he barely needed to cradle her in his arms to hold her, his hands almost big enough. He stared into her eyes, amazed to see her sleepily staring back, and again his eyes filled, accompanied by a sniffle. Toriel reached out and touched his knee gently, and he closed his eyes briefly, his heart racing.

"Hey." Frisk's voice startled all three of them, and they looked over at the doorway to see her there, looking both nervous and excited. "Can I...?"

"Come here, dear," Toriel said sternly, holding her hand out, and Frisk took it, allowing herself to be pulled closer with a small laugh. Frisk sat down beside Asgore on another chair, looking closely at her sister with an amazed expression, as though hypnotised.

"Do you have a name for her, Frisk?" Asgore wondered.

"Yes," Frisk replied, her smile suddenly turning devious. "And I used your idea to use letters from both of your names." She paused. "How's the name Goati?"

Her parents stared at her, mortified, for a long moment in silence. Frisk burst into laughter, so hard she had to hunch over, tears springing to her eyes. "I should have recorded it! Rats!" she gasped out.

"You're teasing, aren't you?" Asgore sighed, looking over at Toriel with a long-suffering look.

"Yes, of course I am!" Frisk agreed cheerfully, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Toriel looked incredibly relieved. "Good joke, dear," she said. "Now, do be serious, please."

Frisk grinned, no trace of teasing or sarcasm in the gesture this time. She looked at Asgore rather pointedly, holding out her hands, and he smiled and gently placed her sister into them. Frisk held her close, leaned down, and said, looking right into her eyes, "Hello, Torae."

Toriel and Asgore blinked in surprise, first at her, then at each other. It was a good name, and she was still using letters from their names, which pleased Asgore quite a bit. "Frisk," Toriel said softly, her hand now going to Frisk's knee. "That's a lovely name."

Frisk looked up and beamed happily. Torae, herself, seemed pleased, too, as she made a small noise either at Frisk or in Frisk's direction, which seemed to seal the deal quite nicely.


	30. Family

When it came down to it, it was strangely easy, how they fell back into being parents to a baby again - especially their own baby. But it seemed to happen the moment they both held her for the first time. From the moment Toriel and Torae came home from the hospital, everything had changed, but at the same time, it was a change that they fell easily into.

Frisk, while they were in the hospital, had cleaned the entire house, as well as made sure that the second bedroom - now Torae's - was set up perfectly and stocked up with everything they needed. The moment they came home, Frisk greeted them at the door looking thrilled, and she immediately hugged them and ushered them in.

Toriel laughed and gave her a kiss on the top of her head in gratitude, and Asgore hugged her. "Frisk, you never cease to amaze me, and I do truly love it." Frisk blushed, but looked oddly pleased by that.

The first thing Toriel did once she had Torae in her arms again was sit down on the couch and close her eyes, holding her closely and just relaxing, so glad to be home. Though she'd only been in the hospital two days and a night, for her, it was long enough.

Asgore gently touched her cheek, and she opened her eyes and smiled up at him. "Can I get you anything, Tori?" he wondered, looking worried and a little anxious. Behind him, Frisk was also hovering, looking the same way.

She stared at them both, then laughed again. "Both of you sit down beside me," she replied. They did, and Toriel immediately turned to Frisk. "Would you like to hold her again?" Frisk's entire face lit up in happiness, and she nodded. Toriel handed Torae to her carefully, and Frisk held her like she was spun gold, beaming down at her the entire time.

There was a silence, as both parents watched their daughters stare at each other, both so different, yet at the same time, sharing much of the same things. Torae fussed only a little for a while, but then started to cry, startling Frisk and making her afraid that she had messed up somehow. Toriel smiled at her and gently took Torae back into her arms, leaning close for a moment, before nodding and holding her to her chest. "She's just hungry, Frisk," she reported, and Frisk put a hand to her chest in relief.

That would take some time, too. Frisk was hypersensitive when it came to the emotions of her sister, and often it would be Frisk who would raise the alarm first, if it was something she couldn't take care of herself. Frisk was so eager to help, so _happy_ to help, that Toriel and Asgore suddenly found, in their first daughter, someone truly better than a nanny would ever have been.

Toriel still had to take time off from work, however, as Frisk was still in school and would be for at least another year. Though he offered to stay home with her and Torae, Toriel insisted that Asgore also returned to work. "I need someone there to make sure things don't fall apart!" she insisted. "You're the only one who can keep Undyne in check! Well," she paused. "One of two."

So the days belonged to her and Torae, something that Toriel was worried she would find frustration with. She was never one for being idle, and when Asriel was a baby, though she'd taken care of him mostly by herself, she still had had help and thus was able to remain working with Asgore as Queen. She wasn't sure what to expect with Torae.

At first, though, she was happy to have those days of respite, as the nights were filled with lost sleep and confusion. Though she didn't have colic, Torae was oddly fussy at night, and demanded company and attention from either Asgore, Toriel, or Frisk. Since both Asgore and Frisk needed to sleep through the night as much as possible, it was Toriel who spent most of the nights with her, and thus the days were filled with naps. At least with that, Torae would nap so that she could, too, which was something.

Gradually, as time progressed, and she grew used to her new life, Torae began to sleep through most nights, and thus Toriel's days were filled with her. During these days, she was able to finally discover who her new daughter was, and found someone she rather liked, indeed.

For starters, she was incredibly attentive. She was always watching, her wide eyes on everything that moved, especially if the movement involved her family. But she watched not with intensity - rather, she watched with calm curiosity, one borne of eagerness to learn how things worked around her, and quickly, at that. And learn quickly, she did. She started making noises in reply to anything said to her quite early, usually accompanied by a bright, sparkling grin. Her grin was instantly disarming, even for Toriel, who had always considered herself immune to that kind of thing. There was something about it that seemed to charm her, promising a child with a keen sense of people-skills and empathy. Perhaps.

She also loved to play. There was nothing Torae loved more than to play, be it on the floor, in her swing, or simply sitting in her crib surrounded by stuffed animals. She would find some kind of game that made sense only to her, and would spend hours entertained by herself, making such happy noises that Toriel was smitten - even more than she already had been.

It was clear that Torae was going to grow up to be a very happy person, indeed. What more could Toriel ask for?

Frisk and Asgore also loved Torae, and also found themselves instantly charmed by her. Which was good, as the feeling was mutual, especially when it came to Frisk. For whatever reason, Frisk was Torae's primary target when it came to wanting something, especially playing. Frisk was pleasantly surprised when this became more clear the more Torae aged, especially since she looked so different from the three of them and expected the opposite. But, no; Torae either didn't care or chose Frisk specifically because she was so different from her parents. Most of her time, when Frisk was home from school or work, was spent holding Torae in her lap. It was very flattering, and warmed Frisk to the soul, as she had nursed a fear that her little sister would be afraid of her for being human.

She needn't of ever worried.

* * *

 

As Torae grew older, more of her personality came through. For starters, she hated her hair and how it grew to be long. She envied her mother's perpetually short hair, and whined at Asgore when he tried to show her how to style it like he did with his. Frisk decided to make it easier, and cut Torae's hair short, as short as she wanted. By the end, Torae's hair was cropped, and she was so happy she ran around the house screaming about it for almost an hour. Then she made Frisk promise to always cut her hair - something she promised with a grin.

By the time she was five and almost ready for school, she was definitely a little person. She had opinions, preferences, and made sure everyone knew them. Other than her hair, she also found her horns a little odd, as she had inherited Asgore's larger ones as opposed to Toriel's. Hence, by the time she was five, she already had small nubs poking out of her hair, which both fascinated her and confused her. Frisk sometimes caught her staring at them in the mirror and proding them lightly.

She loved dressed, though she ran around like she wore pants. As a result, Toriel bought her tights to go under her dresses, so that she could have the freedom of pants but with the joy she found in those dresses. This delighted Torae, as Frisk also wore tights and long shirts over them, and she adored Frisk's style.

By this time, Frisk had finished school and was now working as ambassador full-time, but didn't want to move out, yet. She wanted to stay to help with Torae, yes, she also felt oddly attached to her home, and wasn't ready to cut the cord, yet.

"But, my dear," Toriel said once, as they sat down and shared some tea, while Asgore and Torae played with the leaves in the front yard. "You're an adult, now. You're welcome to stay, of course, but you should consider moving out, soon. So many more people need you, and with your duties now full-time, you're going to need that freedom."

Frisk agreed, but was hesitant all the same. "I think once Torae starts school, I'll feel better."

"Alright, child," Toriel replied, patting her hand gently.

* * *

 

When Torae started school the following year, this also meant that Toriel could return to school, as well, a prospect that delighted her. Staying home with Torae had been wonderful, but she had also spent much of the time fretting over the state of her school in her absence.

At first, her young daughter was adamant about not going to school, citing that she was already smart and didn't need it. When Frisk teased her and asked her to name the five-times-table, she went bright red and went silent, having no idea what that meant. Reluctantly, she decided to follow the wisdom of her elders, and school it was.

Asgore was over the moon by this. He loved Torae and practically spoilt her rotten, so to have her at the school where he could see her for much of the day made him almost as excited as Torae was going there at all. Toriel had warned him not to hover over her or embarrass her, but Asgore struggled with that quite a bit. He loved his little girl, and wanted to protect her and keep her happy and safe.

He needn't of worried. Though they'd expected that Torae would either be mocked or coddled for being the Headmistress and Groundskeeper's daughter, what happened was that she was actually treated rather normally. She didn't make friends with everyone, true, but the friends she did make were good sorts, and she loved them as much as they loved her. She always came home with so many stories of how she spent her time with them, and her eyes always shone bright to go along with her smile, something that made her family so happy about.

Frisk decided, then, that it was time to move closer downtown to the political offices. But first, there was something she needed to do, and she needed Torae to do it. So, one weekend, she packed a bag full of what they would need, and took her little sister on a trip to the Underground.

* * *

 

It was a secret she'd kept from her parents for many, many years; the fact that Flowey was still living Underground, and that she visited him quite often. Though she'd never made him promise to stay there, he never left the Underground. When she asked why, he refused to answer her, so she decided to just be grateful for that.

Over the years, with many breaks in the ice along the way, she and Flowey became as close to friends as they could possibly become. She liked Flowey and thought of him as her friend, regardless if he felt the same way. She had no idea how he truly felt about her, but the fact that he kept letting her visit him without trying to kill her each time was something she decided to take as a good sign.

She was ambushing him that day, she knew. She had kept rather tight-lipped about Torae, afraid to hurt him or cause him to lose rationality in his anger, but this time she decided she'd left it for far too long, and it was time.

So when he popped up in front of them, about to say something caustic as his usual greeting - only to freeze in place, his snarky grin twitching at the sudden sight of Torae - Frisk gave him time to take her in.

Torae peered closely at Flowey from Frisk's side, a little nervous at the sight of him. Though she'd been raised with monsters and humans, she'd never seen one like him, though she admitted to a sense of familiarity that she didn't know she had. They stared at each other for a moment, Torae with unabashed curiosity and Flowey with that frozen, confused grin on his face.

"Frisky," he then said slowly, his smile twitching again, though his eyes met Frisk's - and she saw they were conflicted. "Who is this?"

"I'm Torae," was her little sister's cheerful reply.

Frisk nodded, sitting down in front of Flowey and crossing her legs. Torae blinked at her, then smiled and sat down in her lap, which made Frisk smile and hold her close. Flowey watched this with a calm glance, though his smile was smaller.

"Torae, huh?" he said slowly. "Where did you come from, Torae?"

"The surface," she replied. "I live on the surface, though I know that monsters came from here. Frisk tells me a lot about that, and how she works hard to make things better for us on the surface now that we're there."

Flowey met Frisk's gaze again. "Frisk," he said softly, his smile almost gone. "Who is she?"

Frisk sighed. "Don't play dumb. You already know. You knew the moment you saw her."

Flowey's smile vanished, and he stared closer at Torae, his eyes narrowed but his leaves quivering a little. "So," he said softly. "They had another kid."

"Yes," Frisk agreed, her voice also soft, now. "But you know better than to think what you're thinking. It's not that way at all, and not why I brought her down here to meet you."

"What are you talking about, Frisk?" Torae broke in, peering up at her sister with a wrinkled nose. "Does Flowey know my parents?"

Flowey snorted out a derisive laugh, one that Frisk winced from. "Yes," she agreed. "In a way, he knew them quite well."

"Oh." Torae turned back to Flowey and smiled. "Hey, they're pretty neato, huh? I like Mom's pie."

Flowey hesitated, then asked, still quiet, "Do you? What's your favourite?"

"Cinnamon!" Torae replied cheerfully.

Flowey stared at her. "Mine, too," he agreed.

"We have a lot in common!" Torae clapped once, then leaned forward and tried to hug onto him. When that failed, she patted his head, instead. He didn't even move away, but instead kept still in order to take it. Frisk was surprised - and impressed. He was actually being nice, in his own way.

"Yeah," he said now. "We do, don't we?" He looked up at Frisk. "Why did you bring her here, if not to torture me?'

"Don't be melodramatic, Flowey," Frisk answered sharply. "Like she says, you have much in common. I want you to be friends."

Torae lit up. "Friends? I wanna be friends with you, Flowey!" she admitted. "You're very pretty, and I like how you talk! You don't talk down to me, and you have very interesting expressions!"

Flowey laughed suddenly, but it was genuine and not at all sardonic or sarcastic. "Okay, then. Sure. We can be friends."

Torae clapped happily and then patted his head again. Frisk relaxed, and stayed quiet as the two talked some more, mostly about small talk, like favourite colours or foods, or what Torae learned in school and the like. The more they talked, the more Flowey seemed to relax, and the more Frisk realised that she'd made a connection that would probably last long after she was gone.

And with that, she knew she could move out without worry.

* * *

 

The day came, and everyone, even Frisk, cried. They had given her so much, and she felt awful that she had to leave it all behind, but she also knew that this wasn't the last time she'd see them; she would make sure of that.

Torae took it the hardest. She was a mess, having grown used to having her big sister around her always, and to suddenly have her leaving was breaking her heart. She begged Frisk to stay, promised she'd be a better sister, but Frisk assured her that she wasn't leaving for those reasons, and that Torae was welcome to visit and sleep over at her place in the city any time she wanted. And that if she ever felt lonely, she could visit Flowey Underground. It helped, but it didn't cure the tears, and she was still bawling when Frisk left.

Asgore and Toriel put on strong faces once the house was left with just the three of them for Torae's sake, especially since she was inconsolable for days. However, in private, together, they, too, missed their human child dearly, almost with the same amount of pain that Torae felt.

But with time, and frequent visits from Frisk in between, even that began to heal, and soon the three began to find a new routine with just the them. Toriel and Asgore were once again reminded of the days when they had just Asriel, and soon they felt patterns arise again with Torae, ones that she also helped with. Pretty soon, it was easy to cope without Frisk, and they kept going.

* * *

"So, who are you, really?" Torae asked Flowey, once, when she was about eight. She had kept true to her word, and visited him quite frequently, now. Her parents were wary at first, but since they knew she was safe in the Underground, they let her play. 

"I'm Flowey the flower," he replied easily.

"No," she answered, raising an eyebrow. "Frisk seems to treat you as more than just that. And I feel a kind of kinship to you. Who are you? Or, who _were_ you?"

Flowey paused. Torae was very clever for her age, and knew the game of semantics in such a way that promised a future in politics. He knew he was trapped, so he decided to just tell the truth. "If you promise not to tell anyone, especially your parents, I'll tell you."

Torae considered, chewing on her lip for a moment, before she nodded. "Okay. I promise."

"I used to be someone named Asriel," he said softly. "In a way, I still am. But not really. Not like this. And I can't return to being Asriel, so I'm Flowey, instead."

Torae blinked at him. "That name sounds so familiar!" she admitted, before she got it. "Oh! You're..." She paused, her face going red, and she covered her mouth. "But you're dead!"

Flowey smiled, the edges a little sharp. "In a way," he agreed. "But for the most part, I'm what's left of Asriel - your brother. It's why Frisk wanted us to be friends. But I'm kind of... hard to get along with sometimes."

Torae suddenly seemed to light up. "You're my brother!" she cried happily. "I can't believe it! I wish I could tell Mom and Dad! Why don't you want them to know, Asriel?"

"First of all, it's Flowey. Second of all, do you really think they'd want to see me this way?" He smirked. "I also lack a soul, in a way. I can't love. I doubt they'd want a son like that."

Torae frowned. "Maybe," she allowed, "but I think the joy of having you back would overrule that, don't you?"

"No," Flowey answered. "So keep it to yourself. You promised."

"Okay, I will," she agreed. "But, Flowey, I really think you should at least come to the surface someday. Just to say hello. So I can introduce everyone to my new friend!"

Flowey sighed, but said nothing to this.

* * *

 

Torae soon became someone that her parents couldn't see the world without. She was everything they weren't, but in a good way, as well as all of the good things they actually were. Granted, she had Toriel's short temper and sometimes cried quite passionately over small things like Asgore, but other than those small things, she was her own person. She was also very, very stubborn, and would give both the monster and human world a run for their money as she grew older.

But those tales are probably for another time, as this is where this story ends: with a family finally healed and happy, and a place in both Toriel and Asgore's hearts finally filled at last.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now! I know I ended it on a strange note, but keep in mind I'm also horrible at ending things. If for whatever reason, some of you want to see this story continue, let me know and I will see what I can do, but for now, that's all there is! Thank you soooo much for reading this! It means everything to me :3!!!


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